Big Brother
by MaxCale
Summary: Robbie was a pretty easy going guy by nature but there were two buttons you could push to trigger his aggression and Ricky Underwood had tapped danced on button number one. No one messes with anyone in my family, especially the women. I'm gonna beat that little punk senseless!
1. Bitter Surprise

**This story is dedicated to NowNforeverRamy for suggesting this particular plot.**

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Anne looked up towards the kitchen door when she heard it open, frowning disapprovingly when she saw her two oldest children walk in the door. Anne turned away and began fixing two plates of food.

"That man is driving you kids too hard," Anne complained. Robbie and Amy rolled their eyes. Their mother complained about Amy's marching band director at least twice a week.

"Ok come on, mom," Robbie said as he set his book bag on the floor near the kitchen table and pulled out a chair to sit down. "He only holds late practices before a home game. Besides, coach keeps us late just before home games too," he reminded his mother. Amy headed down the hallway to the bathroom.

"I still think he's pushing those kids too hard. Marching band is supposed to be fun, not a chore," Anne replied gruffly, still not too thrilled that her children had once again missed dinner due to afterschool activities. She put one plate in the microwave to reheat while she fixed the second. "Amy's in high school now. She should be hanging out with her friends after school, not trying to make snowflakes with a bunch of band geeks." Robbie chuckled and stood up to retrieve his plate of food from the microwave when it beeped.

"Your daughter **is** a band geek, mom. And she enjoys it." Robbie took a seat as his mother placed a plate in the microwave for Amy.

"So does the coach feel you boys are ready for your game on Friday?" Robbie nodded, his mouth full of food. He quickly swallowed.

"Yeah. He says if we run our plays as well as we've been doing them in practice then the win's in the bag." He took another bite of food just as the microwave beeped signaling that Amy's dinner was ready, at least Robbie thought he heard it beep, because the instant it did the noise was drowned out by the sound of sobs coming from the downstairs bathroom. Anne quickly walked down the hall to make sure Amy was alright, Robbie right on her heels, still chewing his latest bite of his dinner. Anne knocked frantically on the door.

"Amy? Sweetheart, open the door." Amy continued to sob, increasing Anne's level of worry. "Amy, open this door right now! You're making me nervous." Amy unlocked the door and Anne quickly opened it. It took her and Robbie a few moments to register the sight before them. Amy was sitting on the floor sobbing, her head down and a small white stick in her hand. Resting on the sink was her French horn case, open, with a crumbled brown paper bag inside it. And on the floor next to Amy was an opened box that had held an early pregnancy test. Anne recovered faster than Robbie and her maternal instincts took over. Her first thought was to comfort her distraught little girl and then make sure she ate her dinner, just in case she was eating for two. Robbie stood in the doorway still in shock. _Amy? Pregnant! When? WHO!?_ Before any of them had a chance to speak, George came home. Seeing no one in the kitchen but hearing sobs, he rushed towards the noise.

"What's going on?" he asked Robbie, his voice laced with concern. He was never very good at dealing with his girls when they were crying but tears meant it was something serious. Robbie looked up at his father, his face filled with confusion, and simply stepped to the side instead of answering. George walked into the bathroom, took in his wife holding and rocking their fifteen year old daughter, and a pregnancy test lying on the floor next to her. Like Robbie, George was shocked as he tried to put the pieces together of what he was seeing. "Anne?" he asked tentatively, asking without asking if what he was seeing was real. Anne looked up at her husband and simply shrugged. She turned back to Amy.

"Let's get you up off the floor." Anne and Amy slowly rose to their feet. Anne wrapped her arm comfortingly around her daughter as she made her way to the kitchen, her husband and son trailing right behind them. Anne seated Amy in one of the kitchen chairs and then reheated her dinner while Robbie and George joined Amy at the table, neither sure what to say. Amy's sobs had quieted to sniffles. No one said a word for several moments; the silence was broken only by Amy's quiet sniffles and then the sound of the microwave beeping. As Anne placed the plate in front of Amy, Ashley came into the kitchen to get something to drink. She took in Amy's sniffles and everyone's stunned faces and asked the obvious.

"What happened?" Amy's lip quivered but somehow she managed to find her voice.

"I'm pregnant," she said, her voice small and frightened, and then burst into tears all over again. Anne rushed to her side and put her arm around her, rubbing her arm soothingly.

"You don't know that for sure, Amy. Pregnancy tests can be wrong. I'll make you an appointment first thing tomorrow and we'll see what a doctor has to say," Anne told her, trying to ease Amy's distress. George finally found his voice, even though his mind was still racing.

"But, Amy, how did this happen? **When** did this happen?" he asked pleadingly. How could his little girl be pregnant at fifteen? Ashley was the handful and Amy was the good girl. What happened!? Amy sniffled and then her explanation tumbled out in a rush.

"It was at band camp. One minute we were making out and the next we weren't and before I could get my head wrapped around the fact some guy was touching me while he was kissing me the next thing I knew there was pain between my legs and that was all I could focus on and then it was just over and he hasn't spoken to me since! I wasn't even sure I'd **had** sex this summer, because it wasn't romantic like on TV or in the movies or anything, but then I was late and….and…..so I bought a test and…..it was positive!" Amy covered her face with her hands and continued crying. Anne gave her daughter a comforting squeeze and did her best to hold back tears of her own. Even though she knew her daughter was going to have sex at some point, she had hoped Amy's first time would be memorable in a good way, not a bad one. Ashley just stared at her sister in shock. _How could someone be that clueless about what was going on? How do you __**not**__ know you're having or about to have sex!?_ George and Robbie had different but similar reactions: they were both furious.

"What's the name of this boy?" George demanded. Amy looked at her father, confused by his anger.

"Ricky. Ricky Underwood," she answered unsurely.

"What school does he go to?" George pressed.

"Grant."

"So he's in the band?" Amy nodded, not sure where her dad was going with this. George's eyes widened in disbelief and were filled with anger.

"You mean to tell me this jerk's been going to school and band practice with you for almost a month and hasn't bothered to speak to you!?" Amy nodded. "I'LL THROTTLE THAT LITTLE HORNDOG!" George bellowed. Robbie nodded his agreement. Robbie was a pretty easy going guy by nature but there were two buttons you could push to trigger his aggression and Ricky Underwood had tapped danced on button number one. _**No one**__ messes with anyone in my family, __**especially**__ the women. I'm gonna beat that little punk senseless!_ Anne knew George and Robbie were prone to do something stupid when they believed the women in the family had been wronged and she tried to interject some reason into the situation before her boys did anything they'd regret later.

"Everyone just calm down! Now, we don't know for sure Amy's pregnant so before anyone goes flying off the handle," she looked pointedly at her husband and son with an arched eyebrow, "let's wait and see what a doctor has to say. Then, if she **is** pregnant, we'll go from there. Until then, this stays within the family." Anne turned to look at her son. "That means no texting or telling the boys," she looked down at Amy, "and no texting or telling the girls until we know for sure what's going on. Agreed?" Anne looked at Amy and then her son to make sure they understood her directive and agreed; they both nodded. Anne turned towards George. "And no telling Donovan or Leon either. We wait until we know for sure." George crossed his arms but nodded curtly, clearly not happy about the situation. Sensing that calm was slowly settling over her family, Anne inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "For the moment Amy and Robbie need to eat their dinner and finish their homework." Anne walked to the kitchen island to prepare George a dinner plate and when it was reheated, he joined his son and eldest daughter at the kitchen table, each silently eating their dinner lost in their own thoughts.

As everyone got ready for bed that evening, there was an air of tension in the house. Everyone seemed to sense that tomorrow, things at the Juergens household would be changing and each member of the family drifted off to sleep fitfully, each hoping for the best but also mentally preparing themselves for the worst.


	2. Pins & Needles

Anne got up bright and early to make sure she could call Doctor Hightower's office as soon as it opened at 7am. She busied herself making breakfast for everyone and trying her best not to start asking herself 'what if' questions. At 7am sharp she called the office and the receptionist picked up after the third ring.

"Good morning, Doctor Hightower and Doctor Bowman's Office."

"Hi, Shirley, it's Anne Juergens."

"Oh hello, Anne. We haven't seen the girls in a while. What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to make an appointment for Amy for as soon as possible. She's not feeling so well. And I'd also prefer she be seen by Doctor Hightower and not Doctor Bowman."

"Alright. Let me just check her schedule." There was a moment of silence as Shirley looked at her computer screen. "It looks like she has an opening this morning at 8:30."

"That's perfect," Anne said, trying not to let her relief come across in her voice. _The sooner we know for sure the better._

"Alright, I've got Amy down for 8:30; we'll see you then."

"Okay. Thanks, Shirley." Anne hung up the phone and continued fixing breakfast. She had just put the eggs in the pan to scramble when Ashley and Robbie came into the kitchen. Anne glanced up to acknowledge her children and then turned back to the stove. "Set the table please," she said to no one in particular, simply expecting one or both of them to do as she had asked. Working together, Robbie and Ashley got the table set and then carried serving plates filled with pancakes, hash browns, and sausage patties to the dining room. Their task finished, Robbie took a seat the kitchen table while Ashley leaned against the kitchen island.

"So did you get her an appointment for today?" Robbie asked. Anne nodded.

"It's at 8:30."

"Can I stay home today?" Ashley asked. Anne glanced over her shoulder and gave her a questioning look before turning back towards the stove.

"Because?"

"Because I doubt I'll be able to concentrate on my schoolwork while I'm wondering if Amy's knocked up or not and I can't tell my teachers **why** I'm distracted since we're not allowed to say anything yet," Ashley informed her mother with a slightly sarcastic smirk.

"I saw that and no, you may not stay home."

"I wanna stay home too," Robbie chimed in.

"For the same reason I presume?" Anne asked with a hint of exasperation.

"No," Robbie said forcefully, his hands clenching into fists. "Because if I see that Underwood punk I'm likely to bash his face in," he told her mother honestly. Anne jerked her head to look at her son with shock.

"Robbie, beating someone up when you're not even positive there's a **reason** to is simply uncalled for and unacceptable in this house!"

"What's unacceptable?" George asked, walking into the kitchen with Amy not far behind him.

"I told mom I wanted to stay home today because if I went to school I'd probably bash in Underwood's face." Anne scooped the scrambled eggs into a serving bowl and scowled at her son.

"And I told her I wanted to stay home since I probably wouldn't be able to concentrate on school work, considering." George shrugged.

"Why don't we all just stay home today? That way after Amy's appointment we'll all be here to find out the results." Anne sighed with resignation.

"Fine, everyone stays home today." Ashley smiled triumphantly, took the bowl of eggs from her mother, and quickly carried them into the dining room before she could change her mind. The family sat down to eat breakfast, but it was a very silent affair. Anne checked her watch and saw that she and Amy needed to head out. "Alright, Amy, time to head out." Amy nodded silently and stood, following her mother into the kitchen. She waited while Anne grabbed her keys and purse and then they headed to Doctor Hightower's office. Once there, Amy took a seat while Anne signed her in. She then sat beside Amy and looked at her. Amy had her arms wrapped around herself, her head down, and she was fidgeting nervously. Anne put a comforting hand on her shoulder, startling Amy and causing her to look up at her. Anne gave her a small smile. "Just relax, honey. No use worrying about something before you have to."

"But, mom," Amy lowered her voice to a whisper, "what if I am…you know?" She began to tear up slightly and looked at her mother with uncertainty.

"We'll cross the bridge when we get to it." A nurse came out to the waiting room.

"Okay, Amy, we're ready for you," she said with a smile. Amy smiled bravely and then turned to her mother.

"You're coming with me, right?" Anne nodded.

"Of course." Together she and Amy stood and followed the nurse to the back. Back at home George and Robbie were in the living room relaxing on the couch while George flipped through the channels to find something to watch. He had called Donovan to let him know he wouldn't be in today because he had some family stuff to deal with, but didn't go into any details per Anne's request. He had also called the kids' schools to let them know none of them would be in that day. George finally found a sitcom he thought he could tolerate and set down the remote. He and Robbie watched it in companionable silence for several minutes before Robbie addressed the elephant in the room.

"What if she is pregnant, dad? What do you think she should do?" George shrugged.

"If she's having a baby then she's having a baby." Robbie chuckled. His dad was a man of few words most of the time and whenever fewer words could get his point across then that was good enough.

"I mean about school and actually raising a kid. You know Amy. She worries about what other people think and unfortunately, Amy's peers at the moment happen to be teenagers and teenagers like to gossip."

"She's tough, tougher than she realizes. She'll stay in school and raise a baby. It's not ideal but it is what it is."

"So you think she should keep the baby?" George tore his gaze away from the TV to stare at his son in shock.

"Of course she's gonna keep it! I don't want some strangers raising my grandson or daughter!" George's shock turned to confusion when Robbie smiled.

"Good. So we're on the same page then," he said simply, turning his eyes back to the TV.

"Huh?"

"I think if she's pregnant she should keep the baby too. I also know someone will probably have to talk Amy into it 'cuz you know how she's gonna react if she finds out she's havin' a baby." George sighed, nodded and leaned his head back against the couch.

"You mean she'll get all scared and swear up and down she can't do it?" Ashley said nonchalantly as she joined them in the living room and sat on the loveseat. Robbie looked at his baby sister and nodded with a smile.

"Dad and I vote Amy keeps the kid if she's pregnant 'cuz we know she can take care of a baby; we're just gonna have to convince her of that. Besides, I spent most of last night thinkin' about it and I'm gonna be an awesome uncle. I don't want the kid raised anywhere but here." Ashley looked pensive for several moments before nodding.

"Yeah, if she's havin' a kid then he or she needs to be raised around their family. Besides, it's not like she'd have to do it all alone," she added with a smile. "That kid'll have the greatest aunt and uncle in the world plus grandparents who know how to take care of a baby around." The three Juergens' shared a smile. If Amy was pregnant than they were about to have a baby in the house several months from now. All they had to do now was wait and see what the doctor said.

Back at Doctor Hightower's Office Amy was waiting for her doctor to come in, having already had her pulse and blood pressure checked by a nurse. Anne sat patiently in one of the chairs while Amy fidgeted on the examining table. After what felt to Amy like hours, her pediatrician came in, greeting her with a smile.

"Hello, Amy. I hear you're not feeling well." Amy turned a confused expression towards her mother.

"I didn't explain over the phone," Anne said. It was Doctor Hightower's turn to be confused.

"What's going on exactly?" Amy looked down at her hands and fidgeted some more. She couldn't seem to find her voice and turned pleading eyes to her mother. Anne spoke for her.

"Last night Amy took a home pregnancy test that came back positive." Suddenly understanding Amy's nervousness, Doctor Hightower gave Amy a reassuring smile.

"Alright, Amy. How far along do you think you are?" Amy's expression said that she clearly didn't understand the question. "How long ago did you have sex?" Understanding washed over Amy's face but her shame and regret about that night made her stare down at her hands.

"Six weeks." Doctor Hightower nodded and then removed a small vile, needle, and elastic band from a drawer, placing then on a tray next to the examining table. She washed and dried her hands and then put on gloves.

"I'm going to draw some blood to test and then we'll know for sure, okay?" Amy nodded and held out her right arm. Doctor Hightower tightened the elastic band, located Amy's vein and then began to draw blood into the vile. Once the vile was filled, Doctor Hightower placed a piece of gauze over the needle's insertion point and then secured it with a band aid. She removed her gloves and placed them in the hazard box before turning back to face Amy. "I'll run this to the lab and then be right back." Amy nodded silently as she left to do just that. She turned to her mother.

"How long does the test take?"

"I'm not sure." Doctor Hightower was back in three minutes. When she returned, she turned to Anne.

"Would you like me to perform Amy's physical while she's here? Since she hasn't had one for this school year yet?"

"Might as well," Anne said while nodding and standing up. "I'll be right outside, Amy. I'll be with you when you find out the test results," she informed her daughter with a reassuring smile and then left the room so Doctor Hightower could perform the physical. Twenty minutes later, Doctor Hightower stuck her head outside the door and told Anne she was finished. Anne once again took a seat just as a courier returned with the results of Amy's blood test. Doctor Hightower thanked him and then shut the door. Amy looked at the test results in her pediatrician's hands and then looked at her mother, her eyes filled with worry. Anne rose and stood next to her, taking Amy's hand. Amy turned back to face her doctor and nodded that she was ready to hear the results. Doctor Hightower opened the envelope and scanned the results.

"Well, Amy, it seems that you are in fact six weeks pregnant," she said, looking up and giving Amy a comforting smile. Amy turned fearful and lost eyes to her mother. Anne engulfed her in a hug.

"Well figure it out sweetheart. I'll be with you every step of the way," she assured her. Amy nodded her head but clung to her mother as though she were a lifeline, rescuing Amy from drowning in a sea of her own emotions, fears, and tears. Doctor Hightower stood up.

"I'll give you two a few minutes." Anne nodded her thanks and continued holding her daughter, who was now crying silent tears, as the door clicked closed, leaving them alone.

"I don't know how or when, but I promise you, honey, everything's gonna be okay." Amy simply nodded again, trusting her mother, because she couldn't see how anything was ever going to be okay ever again. Amy calmed down enough to stop crying fifteen minutes later. Doctor Hightower came back in to discuss the medical implications of the test with Amy.

"Now, Amy, every day of a pregnancy is important to ensure your baby stays healthy and develops normally. I'm prescribing you prenatal vitamins to get you started but you'll want to discuss then again during your first appointment with whichever obstetrician you choose to see throughout your pregnancy." Her last statement caught Amy's attention.

"Won't I be seeing you?" Anne and Doctor Hightower chuckled.

"No, honey, I'm a pediatrician. You'll need to be seen by a doctor who specializes in pregnancies during your pregnancy. Don't worry though. You can still come see me after your pregnancy until you're eighteen. I've been your pediatrician all your life and I'm not just going to abandon you now," Doctor Hightower explained with a smile. "And feel free to call me if you have any general questions about your pregnancy until you feel more comfortable with your obstetrician, okay?" Amy nodded. She and Anne thanked Doctor Hightower and then headed to the pharmacy to retrieve her prenatal vitamins, Anne actually picking them up because Amy was too embarrassed about being pregnant. The ride home was a silent one, Anne occasionally glancing over at Amy to make sure she was okay.

They sat in the car for several minutes after they arrived home, Amy simply because she wasn't ready to face her family with the truth and Anne to give Amy time to prepare herself.

"Ready?" Anne finally asked, opening her door to get out. Amy nodded resolutely and together they made their way to the kitchen door. The rest of the family, still in the living room, heard the door open and rushed to the kitchen.

"Well?" Ashley asked impatiently, not even bothering to wait until Anne and Amy were both in the house and the door had been closed. Amy simply ran up to her room, slamming the door behind her.

"Is that a yes?" George asked hesitantly.

"Yes, George," Anne stated with a sad sigh. "She's six weeks pregnant."


	3. Gumdrops

There was a moment of silence in the kitchen as the reality of the situation sank in for George, Robbie and Ashley. Anne went into the laundry room to start on the laundry while George slowly lowered himself into one of the kitchen chairs to try and process that fact his little girl was pregnant and that he was going to be a grandfather. Robbie and Ashley shared a knowing look before opening the junk drawer in the kitchen and retrieving several packages of Amy's favorite candy. They went upstairs and knocked on her bedroom door.

"Go away," Amy said with a sniffle. Robbie ignored her and opened the door anyway. Ashley entered the room behind him and shut the door behind her. They made themselves comfortable on Amy's bed but she didn't look at either one of them. She was sprawled in the middle of her bed face down, sniffling into her pillows. Robbie rattled the packages of candy he was holding, getting Amy's attention. She slowly, grudgingly turned her head, her curiosity getting the better of her. She frowned when she saw what he was holding and Robbie smiled.

"You know you want some," he teased in a sing-song voice. "All you gotta do is sit up and talk to us," he continued in the same voice while he continued to rattle the package. Amy knew her older brother had her and she openly pouted while she sat up and leaned against the top frame of her bed. Robbie smiled triumphantly and then tore open the packages of candy. Ashley did likewise and a small mountain of gumdrops was dumped on Amy's bed between the three of them.

Amy had been two when she'd eaten her first gumdrop and she became hooked. For some reason that even Amy couldn't quite find the words to describe or explain, whenever she was truly upset, by some miracle simply eating a handful of gumdrops seemed to improve her mood and calm her down. Robbie had realized this and, once Ashley was old enough to understand, he'd let her in on the secret. Their parents were still clueless about the calming and mood elevating effect gumdrops had on Amy but her siblings weren't and always pestered their parents for them so there would always be some in the house in case Amy needed them.

Amy quickly grabbed a handful and shoved them in her mouth in a very unladylike manner. As she chewed the tasty treats her sniffles began to subside and she felt just a little calmer. Robbie and Ashley took handfuls of gumdrops as well but only popped a couple at a time in their mouths.

"It's gonna be alright you know," Robbie told her matter-of-factly.

"No it won't," Amy declared resolutely. "First of all, I don't have a clue how I'm gonna take care of a baby and stay in school. It's not like I can afford daycare or anything else a baby needs without a job and what kind of job can I get that'll let me work only after school?" Ashley shrugged as though these were minor details to be ironed out.

"So you'll find a job that'll let you work after school so you can pay for daycare and that'll let you stay in school." Amy rolled her eyes and popped several more gumdrops in her mouth.

"Ash, babies need all kinds of things and that takes a lot of money, money I don't have." Robbie laughed.

"Amy, it's not like mom and dad aren't gonna help you out as much as they can. I'm sure they'll help you buy some of the things you need if you can't afford them. It's not like they're gonna turn their backs on their grandkid. Besides, if you're so worried about the money then I'll get a job and help you out." Amy turned shocked eyes towards her brother.

"You can't! The coach said you could get full ride sports scholarships for college! If you get an afterschool job than you can't play sports! I won't let you do that!" Robbie leaned forward and kissed her forehead to calm her down a little.

"I didn't say an afterschool job, gummie, I said a job. I can get a part-time weekend job. Family comes first, Amy."

"But it's not your responsibility to help me take care of a baby. It's mine and right now I don't see how I can do it." She started to tear up and her eyes filled with worry. "Maybe it's better if the baby's adopted," she said dejectedly. "This kid deserves a mom and dad who love them and I can't give my baby that because I don't want anything to do with the dad, a guy who doesn't want anything to do with me, well, anymore."

"So don't have anything to do with him," Ashley said matter-of-factly, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Amy looked at her uncertainly and then popped several more gumdrops in her mouth. "I went online and looked it up. You can get him to sign a declaration giving up his rights as a dad and then you don't have to deal with him unless you want to." Robbie nodded in agreement.

"You should totally get him to sign something like that. Where do we get it?" Ashley smiled and then left the room for a moment. She returned holding a form.

"I already printed it out. It's totally legit too, straight from the city's family court website. All you gotta do is get his signature, take it to the courthouse to get notarized and then you're free of the guy." Amy took the piece of paper and read through it quickly. She popped a few more gumdrops in her mouth as she mulled over the idea of being free of Ricky Underwood for the rest of her life, legally at least. The mountain of gumdrops had dwindled to a small molehill, mostly thanks to Amy but at least she was much calmer and was starting to think more rationally instead of being ruled by her emotions.

"I need to talk to mom and dad about this." She grabbed another handful of gumdrops as she made her way downstairs, her siblings right behind her to help offer explanations and moral support. They found Anne making meal preparations in the kitchen but didn't see George anywhere. "Mom, where's dad?"

"Looking for something in the garage," she answered without stopping her task. Robbie quickly went into the garage and asked his dad to join them in the kitchen.

"What's up?" George asked when he entered the kitchen, heading to the sink to wash his hands.

"I wanna talk to you about something," Amy stated.

"Oh?"

"I wanna ask Ricky to give up his parental rights so I won't have to deal with him." Anne stopped grating vegetables and looked at her daughter with surprise.

"Are you thinking you want the baby adopted?" Anne asked.

"WHAT!? WHY!?" George bellowed. Anne narrowed her eyes at her husband.

"It's her choice, George, and if that's what she thinks is the right thing to do then she's gonna need Ricky to waive his parental rights." George sputtered for a moment and then looked at Amy.

"But you don't have to give the baby up for adoption, sweetie, you can take care of him or her, I know you can, you just have to believe that."

"George!" Anne scolded. Robbie interjected before his parents started a full blow argument.

"She hasn't decided anything about the baby, just that she doesn't want anything else to do with someone who doesn't want anything else to do with her." Ashley chimed in.

"And I was looking around online while she was at her appointment about babies and stuff and found a legal form that once Ricky signs it will mean Amy doesn't have to deal with him while she's figuring out what she wants to do about the kid, unless she wants to." Ashley's explanation pacified George but Anne was unconvinced.

"Amy, you realize that once you tell Ricky he's the father of your baby he may decide he doesn't want the baby adopted. Are you prepared for that possibility?"

"Trust me, mom, he's not interested in me and he's certainly not interested in raising a baby with me," Amy told her, a note of bitterness and hurt in her voice.

"If you're sure this is the next step you wanna take then we'll need to meet with Ricky and his parents, and by 'we' I mean you, me and your father." Robbie crossed his arms and pouted and Ashley rolled her eyes.

"So we can't meet and bash the guy who hurt our sister? So unfair, mom," Ashley proclaimed, rolling her eyes. George tried to hide a smile at Ashley's statement, having no problem with his other two children giving this jerk a hard time about what he'd done to Amy. He caught Anne's eyes and quickly composed himself back into a responsible adult.

"Your mom's right. The fewer people at this uncomfortable meeting the better."

"I'll call the school and ask the counselor to arrange a meeting." Amy blanched.

"Do you **have** to tell the counselor?" She whined. Anne smiled at her sympathetically.

"Amy, at some point you're going to start showing and the counselor's gonna find out." For some reason that fact had completely escaped Amy's mind.

"I don't have to go back to Grant though, right? Aren't there schools for girls like me?"

"Girls like what?" George asked, his anger rising again, but only slightly.

"You know. Girls who are….knocked up, and not married. I can't go back to school and have everyone staring at me and talking about me."

"Amy, you have every right to go back to your high school if you want to and anyone who wants to talk about you just because you're pregnant isn't worth the time of day anyway," Anne told her firmly.

"She's right, Amy," Robbie agreed. Suddenly he smiled. "Besides, your best friends go to Grant and you've got three big brothers who will look out for you. We won't let people get away with giving you a hard time." Amy was suddenly overcome with the need to hug her brother and did so. There were times it was kinda annoying having Robbie constantly tell guys to stay away from her but there were also times, like now, when it was such a relief knowing she had a big brother looking out for her.

"Thanks, Robbie."

"Anytime, gummie," he told her, kissing the top of her head. Anne began rummaging through a small drawer in the kitchen and moments later retrieved the school directory. She flipped open to the page for the high school and dialed the number for the counselor.

"I'll call the counselor now and I'll let you know how soon we'll be able to have this meeting." The teens nodded and headed back up to Amy's room to finish off the gumdrops while George returned to the garage to continue his quest for some unknown item. The counselor picked up on the second ring.

"Mark Molina speaking."

"Hello. My name is Anne Juergens, my daughter Amy is a freshman this year. She has a problem involving another student and my husband and I'd like to have a meeting with him and his parents, and of course our daughter would be present as well."

"Alright. What's the name of the other student?"

"Ricky Underwood."

"Okay, Mrs. Juergens. What exactly is the problem?"

"I'd rather not discuss it over the phone."

"Alright. Can you tell me how long ago the problem began?" There was a pause as Anne considered her answer. "Mrs. Juergens?"

"Again I'd rather not explain over the phone."

"Very well. I'll contact his parents and see when they would be available for a meeting. Is there any preferred day or time that works best for you and your husband?"

"The sooner the better, please."

"Very well. I'll call you after I've spoken to them."

"Thank you." Mark hung up and then went to the front office to pull the names and contact numbers of Ricky's parents from his file. Having copied down the names and numbers, he returned the file to its location and then returned to his office to make the calls. As both parents had work numbers listed, he called those first. He was able to reach Ricky's mother, Margaret, first.

"Hello, Mr. Molina is it?" she asked politely when she picked up the phone.

"Yes, ma'am."

"What can I do for you Mr. Molina?"

"I've received a complaint from the parents of another student about a problem their child has that involves your son. They would like to meet with you, your husband and your son to discuss it."

"Did they say exactly what the problem was?"

"The parent wasn't comfortable discussing it over the phone." Margaret sighed.

"Mr. Molina, is this other student a female?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because if it is then I have a pretty good guess as to why they didn't want to discuss the issue over the phone. Did the parents say when they wanted to meet?"

"The sooner the better."

"I can be at the school in twenty minutes. And I'll call my husband on the way to see if he can meet me there."

"Very well. I'll let the other parents know."

"I'll see you soon." Margaret ended the call and speed dialed her husband's direct line. Luckily he was in his office finishing paperwork and picked up when he saw her name on his caller ID.

"Hello, sweetheart. Is everything alright?"

"No, Shakur, it's not. The parents of another student called the school and requested a meeting with us and Ricky but they didn't want to disclose to the counselor what the issue was over the phone, which leads me to image it's a female student he got mixed up with. Anyway, the counselor just called me and I'm on my way to the school."

"I'll meet you there," Shakur replied with a tired voice. _What is it this time, Ricky?_ Meanwhile Mr. Molina called the Juergens household, as promised. George picked up.

"Hello?"

"Yes, may I speak to a Mr. or Mrs. Juergens."

"This is Mr. Juergens."

"Hello, sir. I spoke to your wife earlier about setting up a meeting with Ricky Underwood and his parents. His mother is on her way here and should arrive in about twenty minutes."

"We're on our way." George hung up without saying goodbye and turned around just as Amy came into the kitchen.

"On our way where?"

"The counselor called. Ricky's parents are on their way to the school right now. ANNE!"

"WHAT!" Anne called down the stairs. She was busy putting away freshly washed and folded towels in the linen closet. George went to the bottom of the stairs and yelled up to her.

"THE COUNSELOR GUY CALLED. HIS PARENTS ARE ON THEIR WAY TO THE SCHOOL RIGHT NOW!"

"BE DOWN IN A MINUTE!" True to her word Anne came down the steps a minute later and placed the now empty laundry basket on the kitchen island. Having heard the shouted exchange, Robbie and Ashley came to see them off. Anne quickly grabbed her purse and Amy double checked that she had the form folded and in her own purse before the three of them quickly rushed out the door.


	4. Facing the Music

The Juergens arrived minutes before Margaret and Shakur. Amy led her parents to the counselor's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in," came a voice from inside. Mark looked up when the Juergens' entered his office and Amy froze in her tracks when she saw that Ricky was already there. Anne noticed and gently guided Amy into the office towards the vacant seat next to Ricky, keeping her hands on her daughter's shoulders the whole time. Mark stood to greet them. "The Juergens' I presume?" he asked, extending his hand. George nodded and shook his hand. He scowled at Ricky before joining Anne and standing behind Amy. Minutes later Margaret knocked on the doorframe, Shakur right behind her, and Mark motioned them inside and gestured for them to close the door.

"Hello," Shakur said politely to the Juergens'. Anne and George nodded in greeting but didn't speak; George glared at the people standing before him. Mark took one look at George's face and decided to jump right in.

"So. Mrs. Juergens called me a little while ago and said that Amy has a problem that involves Ricky but she didn't want to discuss it with me over the phone. Mrs. Juergens," he said while turning towards Anne, "would you like to explain why we're all here." Amy squeaked and shifted as far away from Ricky in her chair as she could. Her actions caused Ricky to glance at her and raise an eyebrow curiously. His nonchalance about why Amy wanted to get away from him made George lose his cool.

"What did you and my daughter do at band camp that you shouldn't have?" George asked Ricky fiercely.

"George!" Anne scolded.

"Well!?" he pressed Ricky.

"Mr. Juergens," Mark interjected, "this will go smoother if we all remain calm and rational."

"Yeah, hold that thought. Answer the question you little punk!"

"George!" Anne exclaimed.

"That was uncalled for Mr. Juergens!" Margaret exclaimed.

"Says you!" George shot back. He swiveled back to Ricky. "Got nothin' to say? Let me help you out there, Romeo. You robbed my daughter of her virginity." Amy squeaked again and crossed her legs, trying to block out the memory of the pain between her legs as a tear ran down her cheek. She reached up to squeeze her mother's hand, seeking a little bit of comfort. Anne took her daughter's hand and used her other to soothingly rub Amy's shoulder while she scowled at her husband.

"Honestly, George, there's no reason to be so crass about it."

"Well that's what he did, according to the memory of what happened that's seared in our little girl's brain," George told his wife hotly. Amy crossed her legs even tighter and Ricky looked at her with utter confusion, which only made George even angrier. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to reach out and strangle the boy. "Now answer me this hotshot: Did you bother to use a condom?" Ricky turned his confused look in George's direction and got a scowl for his trouble. "Figure out where this is going yet?" Ricky didn't know where this was going for sure but he knew he didn't like it, and he was still trying to figure out why Amy was trying to get away from him and not cry at the same time. "Got nothin' to say? Then let me spell it out for you, Casanova. Thanks to you my little girl's now six weeks pregnant!" Now that George had a face to put to the monster who'd hurt his baby girl, and it was obvious that Ricky was completely clueless about just how much he'd hurt Amy, George let loose the rant that had been building since last night.

"What kind of heartless, moral less, jackass takes advantage of an innocent, fifteen year old girl! And don't try to tell me you didn't because you weren't there when Amy saw the positive result on that pregnancy test last night! You didn't hear her sobbing uncontrollably because she was scared out of her mind! You didn't sit there last night and listen to her recount how some guy was making out with her one minute then had taken her by surprise when he started touching her too and then didn't give her time to process what was going on before all she could focus on was the sudden pain between her legs before in the blink of an eye it was just over!" Hearing her father recount what she'd told her family last night and reliving the actually memory because of it was too much for Amy and she stood to bury her face in her mother's shirt. Anne wrapped her daughter in a tight hug as Amy began crying all over again. The sound of her tears only continued to fan the flames of George's anger and he continued tearing into Ricky, who was now wearing a shocked expression.

"You've been going to school and marching in the same band together for over a month and you didn't have the decency to speak to her not even once!? I don't know what kinda reality you're living in kid but decent people don't use other people like toys and then discard them! You used my daughter and then pretended she was invisible! What kind of heartless monster **does** that to a sweet, kindhearted, trusting young girl!? Answer me you little punk!" Anne understood George's need to rant; if he hadn't lit into Ricky already she would have. However, she also knew that raging at Ricky wasn't going to change or fix anything. Hearing George finally pause to take a breath, she spoke up.

"Alright, George, you've got it off your chest and had your say. Lecturing the boy won't change anything." Amy was now only sniffling and George finally turned to look at his daughter. Seeing that she was shaking slightly as she drew in ragged breaths of air, he moved to block her from Ricky's view, suddenly feeling the need to protect her from him at all costs. Anne looked at Mark. "As my husband stated, Ricky has avoided our daughter as though she were invisible since that night at band camp and since he obviously wants nothing more to do with her, she wants nothing more to do with him. While she's at school, we want it made clear that he is not to harass her in any way, shape or form, except for what interactions might be unavoidable in the band area." She turned to look at Ricky's parents, who were slightly dumbstruck by George's rant but also saddened by their son's treatment of the young lady before them. "Our daughter has also decided she **legally** wants nothing more to do with your son as well." Anne motioned to George to retrieve Amy's purse. Understanding the intent behind the gesture, he retrieved the form from Amy's purse, unfolded it, and placed it in front of Ricky, who read over it questioningly.

"Relinquish my parental rights?" Ricky said out loud hesitantly. "Huh?" He looked at his parents for an explanation but they already understood the implications of Ricky signing that document.

"Now hold on just a minute," Shakur said. "I understand this is an emotionally charged situation but shouldn't Amy and Ricky have time to think about this before they make any rash decisions?"

"Are you calling my daughter rash?" George fired back.

"No, I'm just saying that asking Ricky to sever all ties to the unborn child he just found out about without having some time to think about it is rather unfair."

"Ha!" George bit back bitterly. "He had six weeks to decide to treat my daughter like a decent human being and chose not to. It's pretty clear my daughter doesn't mean anything to him so why would the child he unexpectedly conceived be any different?"

"That's rather unfair, George," Margaret told him.

"That's Mr. Juergens to you." Mark had been silent this whole time trying to process what was unfolding in his office. A teenage pregnancy was going to make things complicated around here.

"Mr. Juergens," he said calmly, succeeding in getting George to look at him and stop scowling at Ricky and his parents. "I don't know your daughter very well or Ricky for that matter. What I do know is that it takes two people to conceive a child and those two people are going to forever be affected by whatever happens to that child. Now, I agree that the decision to relinquish one's parental rights shouldn't be taken lightly and Ricky should take some time and seriously consider the ramifications of signing or not signing this document." George narrowed his eyes at Mark but Anne, sensing another outburst, chimed in.

"George, they know where we stand and how we feel about the situation. The ball's in their court now and it's getting close to lunchtime; Amy needs to eat," she added as an afterthought, knowing George would be willing to leave if he believed it was for Amy's sake. He nodded and Anne turned to look at Mr. Molina. "Amy will need to be transferred out of the marching band." Mark nodded.

"I'll get her transferred to the concert band as soon as possible."

"Thank you." Anne looked at George and he made his way over to the door, opening it for his wife and daughter before following them into the hallway to make their way to their car and then home. The office was silent for several moments before Margaret spoke up.

"Mr. Molina, I'd like to take Ricky home for the rest of the day. We have a lot to discuss." Ricky rose and followed his parents out of the office, the form in his hands. Once they reached the parking lot, Shakur turned to look at Ricky.

"We'll see you at home." Ricky nodded numbly as he made his way to his car. He unlocked it, climbed in and just sat there, starring at the form in his hands for several more moments. With a sigh he tossed it onto the passenger seat, buckled himself in and started the car. _A baby? With Amy?_ It was just so unreal.


	5. To Sign or Not to Sign?

Ricky arrived home just after his parents. He found them sitting at the kitchen table when he walked in the house. His mother motioned for him to join them and he did so. They were silent for several minutes, each trying to organize their thoughts.

"So what do you want to do?" Margaret asked. Ricky looked at his mother questioningly with a raised eyebrow.

"What exactly can I do? It's obvious her dad's not gonna let me anywhere near her and how am I supposed to take care of a kid anyway?" he asked incredulously.

"Ricky," Margaret explained gently, "you have the right to be as involved in your child's life as you wanna be." She pointed to the folded document that Ricky had set down beside him on the table. "That document says that no one can take your parental rights away from you unless you first **choose** to give them up. Do you wanna be a part of your child's life?" Ricky snorted.

"Given my parental examples I don't think allowing me to screw up a kid by trying to be a dad is such a good idea." Shakur sighed.

"Ricky, just because your parents weren't the kind of responsible, loving examples you needed doesn't mean you can't choose to do better by your son or daughter. You don't have to be like your parents; it's a choice. You've come a long way, son, and you're on your way to becoming a good man." Ricky chuckled mirthlessly.

"Yeah right. What kind of a 'good man' gets a fifteen year old girl pregnant and then avoids her?"

"Why **did** you avoid Amy after having sex with her?" Margaret asked. Ricky leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. He was quiet for several minutes, pondering the answer. "Ricky?" He sighed and stared down at the table cloth.

"I was too scared," he admitted quietly.

"Scared of what?" his mother pressed. Ricky grappled for the right word and waved his hand distractedly.

"The situation."

"And what situation was that?" Shakur asked.

"I really liked Amy."

"And **that** scared you?" Ricky nodded. "Were you scared before or after you slept with her?" Ricky sighed.

"After."

"So did you actually like her before the two of you slept together?" Again Ricky nodded. "I'm a little confused here, son."

"I really liked her before we had sex. Afterwards, my feelings towards her felt….different. It hit me that I didn't just like this girl but maybe, just maybe, I had real feelings for her. I mean, I hadn't known her for very long but I really liked talking to and kissing her. And then the make out session just went too far." He ran a hand through his hair and stood up to get himself a glass of water. His foster parents waited for him to do so and rejoin them at the table.

"Ricky," Margaret began. "How much truth was there in the things that George Juergens was saying?" He looked at his mother with furrowed eyebrows.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he said Amy described to them last night what that night was like for her. Were you aware at any point that Amy wasn't completely into having sex with you that night?" Ricky took a moment to think back to the night and had to swallow a lump in his throat.

"I realized once we'd gone too far to stop that she didn't realize what we were getting into. But it was too late at that point," he asserted, trying halfheartedly to defend his actions.

"And why didn't you use a condom?" Ricky rolled his eyes, having heard this lecture from his foster mother a thousand times.

"I know, I know. If you're gonna do it then be responsible. I hadn't **planned** on having sex with her that night so I didn't have one on me. When she didn't stop me I figured she must be on the pill or something. And it's like I said, I didn't realize **she** didn't realize we were going too far 'til it was too late." Margaret sighed and looked at her son with disappointment in her eyes.

"Oh, Ricky."

"Her dad was right about her personality though," Ricky continued, starring back up at the ceiling. "She really is a nice, sweet girl. I didn't take advantage of her though, or at least I didn't mean to. I just liked her. I didn't mean for any of this to happen," he admitted dejectedly. "Maybe I don't deserve to have a baby with a girl a nice as Amy." Margaret reached out to squeeze his hand.

"Ricky, everyone deserves to have a nice guy or a nice girl in their lives. You didn't set out to hurt Amy so you shouldn't feel bad for liking her back then. And if you still like her now then maybe the two of you need to sit down together, without any parents interjecting, and just talk this out." Ricky sighed and looked at the woman who had become the mother he'd always wanted, and needed.

"I don't know, mom. Part of me feels like I've hurt her so bad that I owe her whatever she wants. And if she wants me out of the picture then so be it." Ricky got up and headed to his room to mull things over. Margaret and Shakur waited until they heard his bedroom door close before speaking again.

"I don't wanna see Ricky just walk away from his child but I also don't want that child to grow up watching and listening to him and Amy constantly fighting if she truly can't bring herself to be in the same room with him," Margaret said sadly. "Did you see the way she tried to stay as far away from him as possible today in Molina's office? That poor girl's really scared and hurt. It may take some time before she's willing to forgive him, and that won't happen as long as her parents continue to view Ricky as their daughter's enemy." Shakur nodded in agreement.

"George reminds me of Ricky a little. They're both pretty stubborn. I'm not sure Ricky can set aside his pride just yet and approach Amy, and George is unlikely to yield his point of view unless Amy asks him to simply because parents have a hard time forgiving those who've hurt their child." They sat at the table for some time, trying to figure out a way to approach George Juergens about letting their son speak to Amy alone. Back at the Juergens household, everyone was sitting at the dining room table eating a lunch of salad and homemade pizza.

"So how'd it go?" Ashley asked once everyone had served themselves. Anne sighed.

"Well your father ranted and raved at Ricky for a while and then handed him the form. His dad and the counselor thought he should take some time and really think about whether or not to sign it so we left the form with him and came home." George grunted his dissatisfaction with the meeting's outcome but didn't speak up. Robbie frowned in disappointment too.

"Do you still want him to sign the form, Amy?" Robbie asked. Amy had a mouth full of pizza so she just nodded, rather enthusiastically. _The sooner I'm free of Ricky Underwood the better._ "Then he'll sign it," Robbie declared.

"So are we gonna tell people now?" Ashley asked. Anne sighed again.

"People are going to find out eventually. Let's not tell the whole world if we don't have to." They finished their lunch in companionable silence and once lunch was over, Robbie began hatching a plan to make sure Ricky Underwood signed that form and his little sister had at least a small amount of peace of mind. The teens lounged around the house for the rest of the afternoon until school got out. Robbie kissed his mom on the cheek as he headed out the door to football practice.

"Drive safe," she called after him.

"I will," he assured her. He climbed into his car and sent a quick text to his two best friends, Terrance and Simon, using the shorthand code they'd come up with ages ago: SOS, G. PL. He got responses immediately.

Terrance: IBT*

Simon: OTW^

Robbie smiled. He knew his boys would have his back. He pulled into the school several minutes later and headed straight for the back parking lot near the football field. Sure enough, the boys were waiting for him. He climbed out and they descended on him.

"Who hurt gummie?" Terrance asked harshly. His two best friends were the only other people he'd told about Amy's gumdrop fix. Robbie smiled and shook his head.

"Not now. I just wanted to let you guys know to hang back after practice so I can fill you in without anyone else overhearing." Terrance and Simon nodded and the three of them headed to the locker room to change for practice. Robbie, Simon and Terrance had been best friends since they were two years old; probably a consequence of living so close to each other. Simon lived next door to the Juergens' and Terrance lived next door to Simon. The boys met one day at the playground and became instant friends. When their mothers realized they lived next door to each other, frequent play dates for the boys ensued and the families had become so close that the boys practically lived at each other's houses, calling each other's mothers mom and deciding to crash at each other's places on the spur of the moment.

As fate would have it, each of the boys' moms had a little girl next and Simon's little sister Madison and Terrance's little sister Lauren where Amy's best friends. It was to these two girls that Amy sent a text: 911, my place. Several minutes later two girls came bursting in through the kitchen. Anne looked up, smiling when she saw them.

"Hi, Mrs. J. Amy texted us," Madison explained. Anne nodded in understanding and the two girls raced up to Amy's room and barged in. Lauren shut the door behind them and joined Amy and Madison on her bed. "What's going on? Why weren't you in school today? Oh, and I picked up your assignments for you," Madison said in one breath as she placed several sheets of paper in front of Amy with her homework assignments written down on them. "And McGoober pushed the test back a week because people did so bad on the last homework assignment." Amy chuckled at their nickname for their biology teacher before her face became serious.

"What's going on, Amy?" Lauren asked. Amy took a deep breath and launched into her explanation.

"You guys know Ricky Underwood?"

"That wannabe bad boy who can't keep it in his pants?" Madison asked. Amy nodded. "What about him?"

"I met him six weeks ago at band camp." She had to pause for a moment and steady herself before telling her two best friends her life changing news. They gave her looks that clearly said 'we're waiting for the punch line.' "Well, one night we started making out, it went too far," Amy started to tear up but continued talking, fearing she'd lose her nerve if she stopped talking now, "we had sex and now I'm six weeks pregnant." Her friends were stunned but also unnerved by the unshed tears in Amy's eyes.

"Are you sure, Amy?" Lauren asked hesitantly. Amy nodded and told them all about what had happened that night, about taking a pregnancy test last night, having a break down, her doctor's appointment that morning, and her meeting with Ricky and his parents. Madison, who was almost as emotional as Amy, was livid.

"That jerk! I'm gonna kick him in the nuts the next time I see him!" Lauren nodded in agreement, but being the voice of reason in the group, turned the conversation back towards the form and what Amy was going to do next.

"So do you wanna keep the baby or give it up for adoption? Or are you thinking abor….." Madison gasped and cut Lauren off.

"Don't you **dare** say it! She wouldn't do that! She **can't** do that!" Lauren narrowed her eyes at Madison.

"She can if she chooses to, Madison. It's her choice. She's gotta do what she thinks is best." Madison and Lauren glared at each other for a moment before Amy interjected.

"No, Lauren, I'm not considering abor…that," she quickly amended, knowing Madison's Catholic upbringing made her uncomfortable with the word abortion. "And I haven't decided if keeping my baby or giving him or her up for adoption is what's best for my baby. All I know right now is that I don't wanna have to deal with Ricky Underwood ever again."

"Hear, hear!" Madison heartedly agreed. Lauren cleared her throat.

"You know this isn't going to go over well with the boys." Madison gasped in realization and Amy groaned. Unfortunately for the three girls, having best friends whose older brothers were your older brother's best friends meant that each of them were subjected to the watchful and eye and protective nature of three big brothers instead of one, and the boys took their job **very** seriously; anyone who messed with one of them was subjected to the wrath of all three of their older brothers. This did not bode well for Ricky Underwood. The girls spent the next couple of hours talking about babies while their brothers were at football practice. As the next game was only a few days away, coach kept them a little later than usual but didn't push them quite as hard, not wanting to risk injuring anybody before the big game. The boys quickly showered once coach said to call it a night and they met at Robbie's car. They climbed in and shut the doors to make sure no one overheard them.

"So what's up?" Simon asked. Robbie's brow furrowed with anger.

"You guys know Ricky Underwood?" he asked.

"The school horn dog and self-proclaimed bad boy?" Terrance asked; Robbie nodded. The majority of the school knew Ricky's reputation for being fast and loose with the girls and Terrance and Simon's brows furrowed with anger. If he'd hurt Amy there'd be hell to pay. "What he do?" Terrance asked heatedly.

"He got her pregnant," Robbie said simply. Suddenly Simon was tearing out of the car and running towards the band area. It took Robbie and Terrance a split second to realize what Simon was about to do and they chased after him and tackled him to the ground.

"I'll kill him!" Simon bellowed from the grass where his two best friends had him pinned.

"Not yet you won't" Robbie informed him. His words caused Simon to stop struggling and look at him questioningly, as did Terrance. Robbie motioned for them to follow him back to his car. Once they were back inside Robbie explained.

"Believe me, the first thing I wanted to do when I found out who had done it was bash his face in but now I've got another reason to and I figured you guys might wanna help me." He had his friends' undivided attention now. "See, gummie wants to be free of the little punk, legally, since he's been avoiding her ever since it happened. She and the folks met with him and his folks today to have him sign a form that says he gives up his parental rights, meaning gummie doesn't have to deal with him unless she wants to, and trust me, she doesn't. So the way I figure, he either signs it or I pummel him. Care to help me if he won't sign?"

"Like you have to ask," the boys told him in unison.

"When and where did it happen though?" Terrance asked.

"Six weeks ago at band camp," Robbie said with a sigh. He quickly filled in the boys about everything that had happened last night and his conversation with Amy earlier that day, also explaining why he wasn't at school.

"We got you," Simon told Robbie. "You let gummie know we got her back."

"Will do." Robbie checked his phone. "I better be getting home before mom has a heart attack." Terrance and Simon chuckled, knowing Anne had a tendency to worry too much. "And don't tell the girls just yet. Gummie wants to tell them herself I'm sure." They nodded and then climbed out, making their way to their own cars as Robbie drove away.

"I still say we pummel him whether he signs or not," Terrance said grumpily as he walked towards his car. Simon nodded.

"I'm down." And with that they climbed into their own cars and drove home, plotting ways to do bodily harm to Ricky Underwood for hurting their sweet little gummie. Anyone who messed with their little sister felt their wrath and Ricky Underwood would discover that in a big way if he didn't sign that paper and give gummie what she wanted and needed.

* * *

*IBT: I'll be there

^OTW: On the way


	6. Big Brothers' Warning

Amy woke up the next morning slightly disorientated and she couldn't figure out why. Suddenly she remembered that she'd have to go to school today and Ricky would be there. She seriously considered just staying in bed but knew she couldn't hide forever. She dragged herself out of bed, went through her morning routine robotically and then double checked that she'd packed everything she needed for that day in her bag. Once she added her history review questions that she forgot to put in her binder last night, she followed the smell of bacon down the stairs, suddenly ravenous. Anne looked up when she came into the kitchen.

"Morning sweetie. How are you feeling?" Anne asked.

"Like I'm starving all the sudden," Amy replied, fixing herself a plate. She was soon joined in the kitchen by George who kissed the top of her head and then started to speak to her stomach.

"Good morning in there grandbaby. This is your grandpa speaking," he said with a smile. Amy chuckled at her father's behavior and continued eating. George poured himself a cup of coffee and then gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. "Good morning to you too, gorgeous." Amy smiled and Amy giggled. Her parents were so corny sometimes.

"It's way too early for all that," Ashley said with a straight face as she came into the kitchen and set her bag down by the back door. She fixed herself a plate and then joined Amy at the table while George ate his breakfast standing at the island and read the morning paper. Anne placed the last piece of French toast on the serving plate and then hollered up the stairs.

"ROBERT MATTHEW JUERGENS HURRY IT UP UP THERE! YOUR BREAKFAST IS GONNA GET COLD." Two minutes later Robbie hopped down the last step into the kitchen, kissed his mom on the cheek, fixed a plate and then joined his sisters at the table to proceed to scarf down his breakfast. Anne shook her head at her son but had a small smile on her face. George checked his watch and then quickly finished clearing his plate. He placed his dishes in the sink and grabbed his cars keys.

"Have a good day ladies," he said while pulling on his suit jacket. He kissed the tops of Amy and Ashley's heads, high fived his son and then kissed his wife before heading off to work. Anne checked her watch as well.

"You kids better hurry up." She was speaking primarily to Robbie and Amy since Robbie drove Amy to and from school while she dropped off Ashley each morning. "And remember, Amy. I'll be picking you up after school." They placed their empty dishes in the sink, grabbed their bags, bid their mom goodbye and headed out. Robbie nodded in greeting to Simon, Madison, Terrance and Lauren, who were likewise heading out of their houses. As Robbie was backing out of the driveway, Amy asked him a question.

"Do the boys know?"

"Yep. Do the girls?"

"Yep. Are you guys gonna hurt him?" Amy asked nervously. Hearing the nervousness in her voice Robbie smiled at her as he shifted into drive.

"Only if he forces us to." Amy didn't quite understand what he meant by that but she felt certain Robbie's statement meant the boys wouldn't hunt Ricky down and pummel him without a good reason, at least, she **hoped** they'd have a good reason. The three sets of siblings arrived at school and the boys parked next to each other in the back parking lot. The girls climbed out and headed inside together while the boys hung back.

"You think he signed it already?" Simon asked Robbie; Robbie shrugged.

"One way to find out." The boys set out in search of one Ricky Underwood while Amy headed to Mr. Molina's office to pick up her new schedule. She knocked on the doorframe and he smiled when he looked up and saw her.

"Hello, Amy."

"Hello. Has my schedule been changed yet?" she asked politely. Molina nodded and leaned down to open a drawer and pull out her file. He removed her updated schedule and handed it to her. She gave him a small smile. "Thanks."

"No problem." Amy headed towards her locker and perused her slightly shifted schedule and sighed with relief. Thankfully only two of her classes had been switched around so she still had all her core classes with her two best friends. The only difference was that now she had band second period instead of first and Spanish first instead of second. While the girls chatted about nothing of significance, their brothers were on the hunt for Ricky. They found him flirting with a girl near the gym. Robbie approached the two teens and interrupted.

"Excuse me, I'm sure whatever the two of you are talking about it quite fascinating but we need to have a little chat with your friend here before school starts," he informed the girl politely with a smile. She returned it and walked away. Once she rounded the corner, Robbie grabbed Ricky by the back of his shirt and dragged him into the locker room, Simon and Terrance slowly following behind them backwards, keeping a lookout. Robbie dragged Ricky towards the showers at the back of the locker room for two reasons: one, they weren't visible from the main locker area and two, by doing so he could make sure no one else was currently in the locker room to disturb or overhear them. Robbie unceremoniously flung Ricky into the shower area and glared at him. Ricky quickly got to his feet and braced himself for a fight.

"What's your problem pal!" he demanded to know. Robbie arched an eyebrow in disbelief.

"You're not too bright are you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're in the marching band and you don't know any of the football players' last names?"

"Of course not, genius, I'm not on the team," Ricky said with irritation, not sure what was going on.

"Better give him a hint or we'll be here all day," Terrance said with a bored tone. Robbie and Simon smirked.

"My last name is Juergens." The boys watched as the gears started turning in Ricky's head and saw the moment realization dawned on him. "Now, I'll give you three guesses as to why we're here right now and the first two don't count." Confusion flashed across Ricky's face as he digested Robbie's words until again reality dawned on him.

"The form," Ricky said.

"Very good. Now, have you signed it yet?"

"Well….." he began and then paused.

"Wrong answer," Terrance declared and quickly stepped forward to punch Ricky in the stomach. Ricky doubled over and wheezed as the wind was knocked out of him. Simon and Robbie looked at Terrance questioningly and he looked back at them unabashed. Robbie straightened Ricky up and got in his face.

"It's very simple Underwood. You hurt our little sister and then treated her like dirt. All she wants now is to be free of you for the rest of her life and you're going to give her what she wants. All that requires from you is your name and signature on a piece of paper. I'm sure even **you** can figure out how to do that and then we won't have to have this little conversation again. We clear?" Ricky nodded and Robbie released his hold on him. Ricky bent over again slightly as he tried to catch his breath. "You have until game day Underwood. And by game day I mean Friday during school hours. Come find me and give me the form or we'll be seeing you again." His would-be assailants walked away, leaving Ricky still struggling to catch his breath. The boys made their way into the hallway.

"What was that for?" Simon asked Terrance once they'd left the locker room.

"Wrong answer," he said nonchalantly, still unabashed about his behavior. "Besides, Robster had already revealed his identity and unless the little punk's got the sense to actually figure ours out, it was better I did it instead." Simon chuckled.

"Fair enough." Ricky waited exactly where he was for several minutes, just to make sure they were actually gone, before making his way out of the locker room and up to his locker. He wracked his brain trying to remember if Amy had ever told him she had an older brother. Girls with big brothers aren't girls he usually fools around with because, in his experience, brothers take offense to any male with a pulse who's not a blood relative even **looking** in their little sister's direction. As he pulled his trigonometry books out of his locker, a piece of one of his conversations with Amy at band camp resurfaced.

_My dad owns a furniture store and my mom doesn't work, well she works but she works at home, taking care of all of us. There's my brother Robbie he's….a typical boy, and then there's my sister Ashley. She's thirteen._

Ricky had been under the impression that Amy's brother was younger than she was since she hadn't said 'my older brother'. Obviously he was wrong. He'd seen that guy around. Robbie. That was his name. For some reason they'd never had any classes together so he'd never learned his last name. Apparently Amy had an older brother who knew he'd gotten her pregnant and he was pissed. _Wait, he said __**our**__ little sister. Did he mean literally or did he just mean that other guy with the red hair __**thought**__ of Amy like a little sister? Maybe I should just sign the form to keep from getting beat up?_ This form was becoming more and more of a problem for him.


	7. New Routine

The school day passed uneventfully for Amy and soon the final bell of the day was ringing. Amy gathered her books from her locker and made her way outside to wait for her mom. She spotted her mother's car in the queue of waiting parents and headed over. When she was buckled in Anne carefully pulled out of the queue and headed to the middle school to pick up Ashley.

"How was school today?" Anne asked.

"Fine."

"Any problems?" She didn't say it but Amy knew her mother was really asking if Ricky had approached her at all.

"Nope. All good." Anne nodded her approval and continued making her way to the middle school. Once she'd picked up Ashley and they arrived back home, the girls started to head upstairs.

"Hang on girls." They stopped and turned to look at their mother. "Amy, you're pregnant so you need to have small snacks multiple times a day and Ashley, a healthy snack can help improve mental function," Anne informed them. She opened the fridge and removed two saran-covered plates that each contained cut up fruits and vegetables with a ranch dip. Anne unwrapped them and handed one to each of her girls. She retrieved two bottles of water from the fridge and handed them to them as well. "Make sure you snack on that while you work on your homework." The girls nodded and headed up to their rooms to complete their homework.

Amy finished hers in an hour and a half and then started browsing the web for information on babies, pregnancy, and motherhood in general. Realizing just how expensive raising a baby could be, Amy decided she should probably start looking at part-time afterschool jobs. Amy had been browsing job postings for a solid hour when she found what she thought might be the perfect first job. The local church had a daycare center that was looking for someone on a part-time basis to help answer phones and file paperwork while they were in the process of expanding the facility, and no experience was required. She also looked at the information provided about the daycare center as a way to start figuring out how much child care could cost. As Amy couldn't drive yet and Robbie wasn't home, she'd need her mom to drive her to the nursery so she could get some more information. Amy went in search of her mother and found her in the living room straightening up.

"Mom?"

"Hmmm?"

"I need you to drive me somewhere."

"Oh? Where?" Amy looked down at the directions she'd printed off and opted instead to just hand her mother the sheet of paper. Anne took the paper Amy held out and scanned it. "A daycare center?" Amy nodded.

"They have a part-time job opening for someone willing to answer phones and file paper and since I've never had a job before and you don't need any experience, I figured it's a good place to start." Anne was suddenly very proud of her daughter for taking some initiative and hugged her.

"Let me just grab my purse and tell Ashley where we're going." Amy went to her room to grab her purse while Anne informed Ashley she was taking Amy to inquire about a part-time job. Anne was able to easily follow the directions and they arrived only twenty-three minutes after leaving the house. The exterior of the daycare center looked very friendly and inviting and suddenly Amy could see her son or daughter enjoying themselves here while she was at school. The two women walked inside and were greeted by a woman with kind eyes and a smile sitting behind the welcome desk.

"Good afternoon, ladies. How may I help you?" Anne motioned for Amy to go ahead and speak for herself.

"I found your advertisement for a part-time helper online and I was wondering if the position is still available." The woman brightened significantly.

"Oh yes! We've been trying for weeks to find someone but it just seems that no one's interested in part-time work at the moment. It never occurred to us that teenagers would be interested in the position but I'm glad you stopped by. One moment. The woman got up and walked quickly down the hall and knocked on an office door. Amy saw her stick her head inside and speak briefly to the room's occupant before she smiled at Amy and motioned for her to come on over. Anne took a seat in the small waiting area as Amy walked down the short hallway and into the office. The receptionist closed the door and Amy stood facing another woman with kind eyes, although a little older than the receptionist. She extended her hand as she smiled at Amy.

"I'm Caroline." Amy shook the woman's hand.

"I'm Amy." The woman released her hand and motioned for Amy to have a seat. Once both women were seated Caroline gave her another smile.

"So you're interested in our part-time helper position." Amy nodded.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Have you ever done this type of work before?"

"No, ma'am. The advertisement online said there was no experience required."

"Oh there's not," Caroline assured her, "It's just helpful to know how much training we'll need to do if we hire you. So tell me, Amy, why do you want this job?" The question was asked gently but Amy still felt a little unsettled. This would be the first time she'd be telling a complete stranger that she was a pregnant teenager and, the daycare center being run by the local church, suddenly Amy wasn't so sure she'd be hired. She cleared her throat and decided to just dive right in and be honest.

"I found out yesterday I'm six weeks pregnant and in order to provide for my baby I need a job." Caroline was only momentarily taken aback but her surprise was quickly replaced with admiration. She didn't need to think it over; she was hiring this young woman.

"When would you like to start?" Her question startled Amy.

"Excuse me?" Caroline smiled at her.

"You heard me correctly, dear. The job is yours if you want it. Not every woman who finds out she's expectantly pregnant has the courage or frame of mind to step up to their responsibility and for that woman to be so young says a lot about her character. It's the kind of character we like to see in the people who play a role in helping us care for the little cherubs we take care of." Amy started to tear up.

"Thank you." Caroline chuckled.

"You're very welcome, my dear. Now," Caroline opened a drawer and pulled out several forms and clicked an ink pen. "This job is part-time so can I presume that you would prefer to work after school?" Amy nodded and Caroline pulled out another piece of paper that contained a schedule. "We can schedule you for shifts from 3:30 to 6:30. Would that work for you?" Amy paused for a moment.

"Would you mind if I double checked with my mother? She's in the waiting area." Caroline shook her head.

"Not at all. In fact, why don't you bring her back here." Amy quickly went to the waiting area and told her mother her presence was requested in the office. Caroline rose to greet Anne as she walked in while Amy shut the door behind them and reclaimed her seat. "Hello. My name is Caroline." Anne shook the woman's hand.

"Anne Juergens."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Juergens. Now I've offered your daughter the part-time position and when we began discussing what time frame would work best for her, she wanted to double check with you."

"Alright. What is the timeframe?"

"3:30 to 6:30, and that would be Monday through Friday." Amy looked at her mother expectantly.

"That's fine. Your father or I can be here to pick you up until you learn how to drive," Anne informed her daughter. Caroline marked Amy's shift down on the forms in front of her.

"Alright. I need to check on some things in the back so I'll leave you to fill out the rest of the forms and then I'll come back to finish things up." Amy and Anne nodded and Caroline left the office, closing the door behind her. Anne helped Amy fill out the forms and excitement seemed to radiate from Amy, causing Anne to chuckle.

"What?"

"You're getting excited about all this aren't you?"

"I don't know. It's like piece by piece the puzzle's coming together. If I have a job that only expects me to work after school then I can stay in school and if I have a paycheck then I can buy the things my baby will need and if I start working now hopefully I'll have enough saved up to afford childcare too. All that's left is to wait for Ricky to sign the form." Anne was once again filled with pride for her daughter's willingness to take the initiative and take control of her unexpected situation. Caroline came back a little while later. She checked Amy's form for omissions or errors, had Anne sign a work release form, since Amy was still a minor, and then placed the forms in her outbox. She stood from her chair and extended her hand to Amy with a smile.

"We'll get this paperwork processed in the next couple of days and we'll see you this Saturday for your orientation. After that, we'll see you Monday at 3:30." Amy shook Caroline's hand, a smile on her own face as well. Amy was still happy as she and Anne made their way to the car and got in.

"You realize this means you're after school routine's gonna change?" Anne informed her daughter as she started the car. Amy just nodded.

"It's gonna change anyway after I have the baby so I might as well get a head start on it." Anne laughed a little as she drove them home.


	8. Party Plans

When Amy arrived back home, she filled Ashley in on her new job and then headed over to Madison's house to tell her, texting her and Lauren on her way over. Lauren came running over just as Amy reached Madison's kitchen door. They walked in and accidentally startled Madison's step-mother.

"Hello, Mrs. Cooperstein," Amy greeted the woman and then she and Lauren quickly headed upstairs to Madison's room. The woman still wasn't used to the girls and their brothers just showing up and walking in unannounced but since they'd been doing it long before Simon and Madison's mom died and their dad had remarried, she just went with it. Madison was sprawled on her bed with her biology book and notes and quickly shoved them to one side so her friends could sit down.

"What's up?" Madison asked once everyone was settled on the bed.

"I got a job!" Amy said excitedly.

"Oooo, doing what?" Madison asked eagerly.

"It's nothing glamorous. I'll just be answering phones and filing paperwork at that nursery the local church runs."

"Awwwww," Madison cooed, "but you'll still get to see all the babies and little kids! It sounds perfect!" Amy and Lauren laughed at Madison's enthusiasm.

"Yeah. I start next Monday but I've gotta go to an orientation this Saturday."

"So are you going to the dance with us on Friday?" Lauren asked.

"What dance?" Amy asked, bending her right leg so she could rest her right arm on it.

"You know. That dance advertised on that gigantic banner in the main hallway," Madison reminded her. Amy remembered seeing the banner but wasn't really big on dances, especially if her brother planned on going and he usually did.

"I don't know you guys. Dances are never that much fun with the boys around. The only reason we were able to have any fun at them last year was because they weren't at school with us anymore," Amy reminded them. Lauren rolled her eyes.

"They'll just have to learn that we're not little girls anymore and we're allowed to have some fun at a dance once in a while. Maybe even dance with a boy or two." The girls broke out in a small fit of laughter; they usually just ended up hanging out with each other and dancing in a group since their brothers glared at all the boys who dared approach them. Amy recovered first.

"I'll think about it." Madison nodded eagerly.

"If you do go maybe I can get my mom to drop us off so we don't have to show up with the boys," Lauren offered. Everyone agreed and then Amy and Lauren left to allow Madison to finish her homework. Amy went home and continued browsing online for information about all the things babies needed and how much childcare at local daycare centers cost.

Back at Grant High, the boys were finishing up football practice and Ricky was finishing up marching band practice. Ricky was grateful their paths hadn't crossed again for the rest of the day with the exception of him seeing the three of them outside during lunch; he didn't stop to say 'hi'. As Ricky climbed into his car and drove home, his mind was still focused on whether or not to sign a certain piece of paper. He simply didn't know what he wanted to do but he only had two more days to figure it out. Dinner at Ricky's was a subdued affair. Margaret noticed her son was lost in thought and wondered if he'd made up his mind yet.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she said gently to Ricky, causing him to look up from his plate. He took a deep breath.

"I don't know if I'm gonna sign or not yet," he admitted.

"Are you gonna try and find a way to speak to Amy alone before you make up your mind?" Ricky shrugged.

"I don't know if that's even possible at this point, considering how much she and her family hate me," he said darkly. Margaret gave him a sympathetic smile and reached over to squeeze his arm.

"Honey, I don't think her parents hate you per se; they're just upset. And as for Amy, she didn't seem angry, just hurt and upset. I'm sure if you give it a couple of days everyone will have calmed down a little." Ricky gave his mom a smile to thank her for trying to cheer him up but the look in his eyes clearly told her that he didn't believe her. The little family continued to eat in silence. The Juergens household was a tad livelier that night at dinner. Robbie was in a good mood, having taken steps to ensure Ricky signed that form, and he was back to teasing his sisters, tonight attempting to steal asparagus from Amy's plate and playing footsie with Ashley under the table. While Anne was happy to see her children in better spirits tonight, she didn't approve of shenanigans at the dinner table.

"Knock it off Robbie," she scolded. Robbie smiled and stopped his teasing, for the moment. Anne turned to face Amy. "So are you still excited about the job or has some of the excitement worn off?" Amy smiled.

"I'm still excited. I can't wait for Saturday!"

"If the Lancers win the game on Friday then it'll be a good weekend all around," George added. Robbie nodded.

"We watched some tapes of the other team's last couple of games for part of practice today and I really think it'll be an easy win," Robbie agreed.

"If you boys do win it'll make the dance that much more enjoyable," Anne stated calmly. George raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Dance?" Anne nodded.

"There's a dance after the game at the church's youth center. Lauren's mom called and said she'd be happy to drive the girls if they wanted to go." George looked slightly alarmed, as he always did at the thought of his girls going to dances. He swiveled to face Robbie and the two males shared a look of understanding and had a silent but quick conversation.

"There's no need, mom," Robbie assured her. "Since the dance is after the game we can drive the girls over; save her the time and gas since we'll already be out and about." George nodded in agreement and Amy turned pleading eyes towards her mother. Anne understood the look and hid a smile as she waved away his suggestion.

"It won't be a problem. That way the girls don't have to wait around for you boys to shower and change after the game; they'll just meet you there and you can drive them home." Amy relaxed and Anne gave her a wink. Anne was well aware how protective Robbie was of his little sisters and knew that Amy would appreciate some time to enjoy herself before Robbie and the boys started hovering. Robbie and George frowned but decided this wasn't a battle worth fighting, especially since Robbie would be at the dance and could keep an eye on Amy.

The next morning at school, a trio of friends was standing near some lockers talking. One of the boys sighed. The female of the group looked at him and shook her head.

"Ben, you've really gotta stop doing that. People will start to think you're depressed or something."

"Maybe I am?" he replied, earning himself a smack to the back of the head from her. The other boy chuckled.

"Honestly, Ben, it's not that big a tragedy. It's only the first month of the school year," he told his friend with a smile.

"Almost the **end** of the first month of the school year," Ben clarified. He turned to the girl.

"Come on, Alice, you gotta help me out here!" Ben pleaded. "There's gotta be **some** girl in this school who'd sleep with me. Can't you think of one? Anyone?" Alice shook her head and gave her friend a pitying look.

"I'll keep my eyes and ears open," she conceded, suddenly poking him in the chest with her index finger, "but I'm **not** making any promises." Ben nodded eagerly, content that she was willing to help him find a girl he could lose his virginity to. Alice shook her head in dismay, kissed the other boy and then headed down the hallway.

"When you do it, promise you'll tell me all about it?" Ben looked at his friend with surprise.

"Oh come on, Henry. You and Alice have been dating for like forever. The way I figure it, you two will do it before me."

"She keeps saying it's not the right time, but we'll get to it one day I just know it." The two friends headed to class, ending their discussion for the moment. Just before third period the three friends met at Ben and Henry's lockers, which happened to be right next to each other, and Alice gave Ben her 'findings.'

"Okay, here's what I've got so far. So there's a girl named Francis in my P.E. class. She's sweet, has a surprisingly funny sense of humor, is universally cute, and she's kinda shy. Then there's this girl named Amy Juergens. She's nice, shy, smart and plays the French horn in the band. There's Tabitha Reynolds, also smart and a little shy, but a lot of guys think she's really pretty, although that may just be because she's kinda stacked. Anyway, so far these three all sound too smart and shy to be all that popular so they're probably desperate enough to sleep with you."

"Ouch," Henry said. Alice glared at him.

"He's determined to do this and he's gotta start somewhere," Alice defended.

"I agree," Ben said eagerly. "Can you point these girls out to me?" At that moment Alice looked around and spotted Amy standing at her locker talking to Madison and Lauren. She pointed to her.

"That's Amy, the one facing this way talking to those other two girls." Ben shut his locker and was about to walk over to her when the warning bell sounded. Amy's next class was down a different hallway from Ben's so he didn't have a chance to speak with her just then. He planned to speak to her at lunch but that plan was thwarted by Robbie. He met Amy at her locker before lunch and said she needed to eat lunch with him that afternoon. Amy knew that was code for 'I need to talk to you big brother to little sister', or in other words 'I need to lecture you about something.' Amy rolled he eyes but followed her brother outside to a table. She rolled her eyes again when she saw the rest of their little six pack heading their way and then glared at Robbie, who didn't look bothered but her annoyance one bit. The girls made eye contact and collectively rolled their eyes; they knew what this was about.

"I'll keep it short and simple," Robbie said once everyone was seated. "We may be in high school now but the dance rules still apply and we've added two new ones." The girls groaned in unison. When the girls had started middle school and decided they wanted to go to dances, the boys had come up with a list of dance rules to make sure no guys tried to make a move on any of them. There weren't a lot of rules but they did take about seventy percent of the fun out of dances. The rules were as follows:

1. The girls weren't allowed to leave the dance area except to go to the bathroom and if they did, all three of them had to go together (strength in numbers)

2. They weren't allowed to let a guy touch them anywhere except their waist and **that** was only allowed during a slow song

3. They weren't allowed to do any kind of dirty dancing

If the girls violated any of the rules, they were forced to stay near their brother or one of the boys at all times, to make sure they stayed out of trouble and behaved like ladies of course.

"The two new rules are as follows," Simon said. "You girls aren't allowed to drink anything but punch, and only if you pour it into a cup yourself, and you aren't allowed to leave your drink unattended at any time. If you forget and do, you have to pour yourself another drink."

"We clear?" Terrance asked, looking at each girl in turn. They nodded grumpily and then the siblings started to eat their lunches in silence, the girls irritated with their brothers and the boys satisfied their little sisters would be safe at the dance. Ben meanwhile had struck out with Francis, Alice having pointed her out to him during their English class. He had approached her after class and asked her to the dance but she informed him, politely, that she wasn't allowed to date until she was sixteen. Not being able to find Amy during lunch, Ben set his sights on Tabitha, who he found sitting with a couple of girlfriends at a table in the shade.

Ricky was doing his level best to stay off Robbie's radar. He spotted him during lunch today, again, but this time he saw that Amy was sitting with him. He also noticed that the other two boys who'd cornered him the other day each had a girl sitting next to them that were obviously their sisters. Judging by their body language, the six teens were friends, but judging by the irritated expression on the girls' faces, they at least weren't too happy about something. _So he hadn't literally meant __**our**__ little sister, just that the other two __**thought**__ of Amy like a little sister, not that it amounts to a hill of beans if they're related to her or not. _Ricky knew that you didn't have to be related by blood to someone to view them as family in every sense of the word, his foster parents being a prime example, but he still decided it was best not to cross them. And yet, part of him really wanted to talk to Amy alone.

He took a seat in the shade and was able to simply watch her unnoticed. The irritation had left her face and she was chatting with the two girls at the table. He was once again struck by how attractive she was and when she laughed at something the boy with red hair said, he was suddenly overcome with guilt. He could tell her laugh was genuine and her smile reached her eyes. _How could I hurt someone that nice?_ The slight breeze ruffled her hair and she tucked a few errant strands behind her right ear. _What would our kid look like? Me or her?_ Ricky pondered the question for a moment. _I hope he looks like Amy._ His breath hitched for a moment. _He? Why'd I assume it'd be a boy?_ Suddenly his mind began racing with questions. _If it's a boy can I be a better dad to him then my father was? If Amy finds out about my birth parents will she let me anywhere near the kid? Should I be __**allowed**__ near the kid or would it just be best for him if I stayed away like Amy wants me to? Could she forgive me if we just spent time together raising him? Would she believe me if I told her how sorry I was for hurting her? How one earth am I gonna get her alone to ask her!? _Suddenly the answer came to Ricky and he knew what he had to do. He rose from his spot and walked straight towards Amy's table. She was the first to spot him and gasped. Robbie looked at Amy and then turned in the direction her startled eyes were facing, as did the eyes of everyone else at the table. Ricky stopped in his tracks for a moment when five pairs of eyes turned towards him and instantly turned to stone upon seeing him. _Okay so they all know and they all hate me but I've gotta do this._ Ricky summoned up his courage and walked up to Robbie.

"May I speak to you for a moment, in private?" Ricky asked. Robbie arched an eyebrow but stood anyway. Ricky walked a little ways away towards the nearby covered walkway and then turned to face Robbie. "I need you to give me until Friday night."

"And why should I?" Robbie asked.

"Your parents made it clear they don't want me talking to Amy while we're at school and I know if I tried to she'd tell them but I need to talk to her before I can figure out if I should sign or not." Robbie opened his mouth to speak but Ricky quickly continued before he could. "If you can convince her to come to the dance after the game and let me talk to her alone for a little bit then I can make up my mind 'cuz frankly I've got a lot of questions that only Amy can answer. I'll make sure and bring the form with me to the dance." Robbie closed his mouth and considered Ricky's proposal. While on the one hand he needed to sign it for Amy's peace of mind but on the other, Robbie was hoping for a reason to be able to pummel Ricky and not signing the form would give him that opportunity. Either way Amy would get some justice for what Ricky had done to her.

"Deal," he said finally. "You have until the end of the dance to make your decision." He turned and walked back to the table and five eager faces.

"What was that about?" Amy asked hesitantly, but curiously. Robbie shrugged.

"He said he's got some questions he wants to ask you but mom and dad said he's not allowed near you at school." Amy tensed slightly.

"What kinds of questions?" Robbie just shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich. "He didn't say." When he didn't continue Madison pressed for more information.

"So?"

"So he wants to talk to Amy at the dance for a few minutes since he can't talk to her at school." He caught Simon and Terrance's eyes and the boys had a silent conversation. Terrance smiled like it was Christmas but quickly wiped the smile from his face as he realized what getting his wish to pummel Ricky would mean for Amy. Amy noticed the silent exchange and Terrance's momentary smile.

"What are you boys up to?" Terrance pasted an innocent expression on his face.

"What do you mean?" Amy wasn't fooled and neither was his sister.

"Bull," Lauren said, shoving her brother slightly. "Just don't get in trouble," she told him with an exasperated sigh. The girls had learned long ago that there was only so much whining and begging they could do to stop their brothers when they had their minds made up to punish someone who'd hurt them.


	9. Dreadful Dance

Friday was there before Amy knew it and she was a little apprehensive about the dance. She wasn't sure what exactly Ricky wanted to ask her but she was certain it was bound to be an uncomfortable conversation. As she sat at the table eating breakfast with her family, she kept glancing at Robbie wondering how events that evening might actually play out if her conversation with Ricky got heated, especially with Robbie and the boys around.

"So what time's the game start?" George asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"6:30," Anne replied.

"Do I have to go?" Ashley asked, secretly hoping the answer was no.

"Yes," Anne told her, causing Ashley to frown; Robbie chuckled.

"Don't worry, Ash. I'm sure you'll have so much fun mocking the cheerleaders and mascot that the game'll be over before you know it," he said, reaching over to ruffle her hair and causing Ashley to duck to try and avoid him. While the whole family always went to Robbie's games, Ashley had never developed a love or even a passing appreciation for sports and hoped that once she became a teenager her parents would let her stay home when Robbie had a game, but no such luck. Robbie knew Ashley wasn't a sports fan but it didn't hurt his feelings that his little sister could care less about something he loved.

The school day passed like any other but Amy remained preoccupied with thoughts of her upcoming conversation with Ricky. She was so preoccupied that even once she was home doing homework she had to re-read two chapters in her history book when she suddenly realized she'd finished her reading assignment but had no idea what she'd just read. She was actually grateful when Madison and Lauren came over a little after 4:00, their arms laden with clothes and accessories, so they could put together the perfect outfits for their first high school dance. Even though Amy knew what was going to happen at said dance, she was able to relax and be a normal teenager for a while as she and her two best friends played dress up for a little while. The girls stayed for dinner and then the three of them headed over to Lauren's house so her mom could drive them to the game. When they arrived at the school's football field, they quickly located the rest of their group. Anne was talking animatedly to Madison's step-mom about something while George and Lauren and Madison's dads were watching the field and discussing the players. The girls trailed Lauren's mom as she headed over to the group.

"So Simon's been saying all week this game is in the bag," Madison said. Amy nodded in agreement.

"Hopefully the game's over soon," Lauren said with a sigh. "I mean, I love my brother and don't mind being his cheering section but football's really not my thing, you know? Not to mention I never know what's going on." Amy giggled.

"Me either." The girls shared another laugh as they made their way up into the stands to join their parents. As the coach had predicted, the game was in the bag. The other team put up a good effort in the first half but the lancers had simply worn them out and they were dragging their feet for the second half, giving the lancers, who didn't let up, an easy win. The girls said goodbye to their parents, double checked that they knew their brothers would be taking them home, and then followed Lauren's mom to her car to head off to the dance. There were quite a few teens already there when the girls walked in and they quickly made a beeline for the snack table. However, once Amy was standing in front of the food, suddenly she started feeling a little nauseous. _I wonder if that's because of the baby?_ She opted to just grab a can of soda while the girls fixed themselves hotdogs and grabbed some chips. They had just reached the end of the table when Ricky walked up behind Amy.

"Amy?" She hadn't seen Ricky approach her but she knew who that voice belonged to and she tensed. She took a deep breath to steady herself before she turned around to face him.

"Yes?" Ricky motioned with his head to the main entrance.

"Can we go outside and talk for a bit?" The thought of being alone with him again made Amy start to panic a little. She knew she had to talk to him but she really didn't want to. Suddenly Amy remembered something that could help her: dance rule number one. Amy shook her head.

"We can talk over there," Amy informed him while pointing to some chairs that had been set up around the perimeter of the room. The chairs she was pointing to were at the far end of the gymnasium and there was no one else sitting nearby, so they would have some measure of privacy. Ricky nodded and they headed over to the chairs, Amy pausing to look over her shoulder at her friends nervously. They nodded their heads, silently letting Amy know they'd step in if they saw that she was getting too uncomfortable or upset.

As she was heading towards the chairs, Ben spotted her from across the room and started to walk over, Ricky being momentarily hidden by a small group of students who were passing by him towards the food table. When he noticed Ricky and Amy sit down next to each other and turn towards each other to talk, Ben stopped in his tracks and frowned.

"Guess the bad boy beat you to it," Henry said as he walked up beside Ben. Ben glared at his friend but Henry simply shrugged and took a bite of his hamburger. Ben turned around and he and Henry headed back over to Alice, Ben hoping Alice could point out some other girl possibly willing to sleep with him. Amy sat unnaturally stiff in her chair as she faced Ricky; neither of them spoke for a moment. Ricky scooted his chair a little closer to Amy in order to make sure she heard him over the music and Amy flinched. Noticing her Reaction, some of Ricky's resolve faded and he decided to start off their uncomfortable conversation gradually.

"How're you doing?" he asked gently, glancing down at her stomach to let her know exactly what he was asking about.

"Fine," she replied, her eyes trained on the soda can she was holding in her lap. Realizing this wasn't going to be easy, Ricky changed his mind and dove right into the heart of the matter.

"Look, Amy, I get it. We had sex and then I avoided you so I'm not your favorite person in the world and then you found out I'd gotten you pregnant so I get that I'm the last person in the world you wanna talk you." Amy didn't respond so he pressed on. "It's just that I need to know something before I can figure out if I should sign that form or not and you're the only one who can help me with that." Amy looked up at him questioningly, obviously confused by his admission. Ricky sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He'd been rehearsing this little speech for the last two days and now it was time to give it.

"I'll spare you the more unpleasant details but I'm in foster care because my parents were potheads and drunks, my dad beat up me and my mom, and he molested me." Amy gasped but Ricky kept talking before she had time to say anything. "One of the reasons I'm not sure if I should sign is because part of me wonders if I'd be a better dad to my kid than my dad was to me while part of me wonders if you'd even want me around the kid given my screwed up childhood. I'm sorry for hurting you, Amy, both by avoiding you and getting you pregnant, honest. And what I need to know is if you'd ever consider forgiving me and giving me another chance?" Amy was quiet for several minutes processing what Ricky had just said to her, and since he could see that she was thinking he stayed quiet and let her.

"I don't know, Ricky," she said finally, and his heart sank. "I get that finding out you're gonna be a teenage parent is a bit of a shock but I guess I don't know if I can forgive you because I don't understand how you could just avoid me like you did. You really hurt me, Ricky, and not just by getting me pregnant." Ricky took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair again.

"Amy, I know I hurt you; you're reaction to me every time I get close to you lets me know that." Amy shook her head.

"No, Ricky, you really **don't** know what you did to me." Ricky's eyes filled with confusion and it was Amy's turn to take a deep breath. Ricky became alarmed when he saw tears forming in her eyes. "You were the first guy to ever be interested in me, Ricky. You were the first guy who'd ever kissed me or held hands with me. You were so nice and sweet to me at band camp that I started to really like you and so I believed you when you said you thought I was pretty, that maybe I could be your girlfriend, that you liked talking to me, and that you had feelings for me." Ricky blanched at her last words. _When did I tell her I had feelings for her?_ He quickly searched his memory for those exact words and couldn't come up with anything. His confused expression made Amy stop her train of thought. "What?"

"Huh?"

"You look confused about something. What?"

"When did I tell you I had feelings for you?" A single tear fell at his question.

"Before we started making out you jerk! You said 'you feel the same way about me as I feel about you?' implying you had feelings of some sort for me!" Amy huffed in irritation, wiped the moisture off her face, and crossed her arms, the soda can forgotten in her lap. She hadn't raised her voice but the irritation it was laced with and the single tear that had fallen let Ricky know he'd screwed up more than he'd realized. Unfortunately for him, before he had a chance to start groveling or apologizing, he was yanked up by the colar of his shirt and held a few inches off the ground. As he tried to register what had just happened, he found himself face to face with a pissed off Robbie and his two cronies.

"What he'd say!?" Robbie barked at Amy, his eyes never leaving Ricky's face.

"He just forgot one of our conversations from band camp. You can put him down now." Robbie didn't listen to her.

"She cries one more time and we're going outside for a little discussion of our own," Robbie warned Ricky. Simon gave him a stare that sent a shiver up his spine and Terrance cracked his knuckles menacingly. After a moment Robbie released Ricky and he staggered back into his chair. The boys gave Ricky one more angry glare before walking off. Ricky rubbed his throat and turned to look at Amy. She was still irritated with him and didn't offer any sort of apology or explanation for Robbie's behavior. Ricky slowly lowered himself back into the chair next to her to continue their conversation.

Unfortunately, most of the teens in the room witnessed the confrontation and gossip and questions started flying. Who was the girl Ricky Underwood was talking to off in the corner? Why'd three of the football players try to jump him? What had Ricky done? Did the girl know those players? Was she the girl **currently** sleeping with Ricky or was he trying to get in her pants? Unaware that they were now the talk of the dance, Amy and Ricky continued with their conversation.

"Ricky, when you avoided me like I was invisible I felt like the world's biggest, most idiotic slut."

"What!?" Amy rolled her eyes and forced herself not to cry. _If I start crying I'll never get the chance to tell him this again because Robbie won't let him near me._

"Ricky, the first guy who was ever interested in me used me for sex, and horrible sex at that, and then suddenly I was invisible. What kind of girl has sex with a guy she's known for less than twenty-four hours? What kind of girl is too distracted trying to process what's happening to her during a make out session that she doesn't realize she's about to have sex until it's over? I felt stupid for letting what happened to me happen to me and I felt like a slut because all you wanted from me was sex and after you got it you were done with me." Her voice started to waiver and Ricky's palms started getting clammy from nervousness. "I felt like I was being invaded, Ricky. It wasn't romantic and it hurt so bad that I had almost convinced myself there was no **way** that I'd had sex that summer, until I was late and that test came up positive." Amy paused to take several deep breaths in order to get her emotions under control. Ricky reacted without thinking and hugged her. Amy stiffened in surprise for a moment but then began to relax. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned towards it. Seeing Robbie barreling towards her like a freight train she quickly pulled back from Ricky and shook he head at Robbie. Ricky turned to see what she was shaking her head at and blanched when he noticed Robbie staring straight at them, pissed off again. Ricky also noticed that the gym was rather hushed and saw that most of the students were looking back and forth between Robbie and he and Amy, just waiting to see what would happen. Thankfully at that moment something else caught everyone's attention.

"GWACE! GWACE! GWACE!" came a loud, screeching voice from outside. Grace Bowman, and everyone else in the gym, rushed outside to see what was going on, well everyone except Robbie, Simon, Terrance and their sisters. Ricky took advantage of the empty gym to begin groveling to Amy.

"Amy, there's a little more to it than that." Amy arched an eyebrow in disbelief and he explained quickly, not wanting to give her a chance to interrupt him. "Amy, I have this love-hate relationship with sex, alright? Sometimes I'm attracted to a girl and I have sex with her because I want to and sometimes I try and get a girl to sleep with me simply to feel like I'm in control of some part of my life if I can get someone to do what I want. Yeah I know that's twisted and I'm working on it in therapy. When I saw you at camp I was attracted to you. After talking to you for a bit I found that I really liked talking to and hanging out with you. When we went into the cafeteria that night I didn't have any plans to sleep with you, Amy; if I did I would've been prepared and had a condom 'cuz I'm not usually a careless guy when it comes to sex. When we started making out and things got a little heated, when you didn't stop me I assumed you were on the pill or something." Amy rolled her eyes and Ricky reached for her hand, suddenly overcome with the feeling that she was drifting away from him and he was desperate to keep her there by his side. "Amy, it wasn't my first time and I didn't realize it was yours and you weren't ready until we'd gone too far to stop." Amy's eyes widened in shock at his admission.

"And **that's** why you avoided me? You were upset about being with a virgin?" Ricky rolled his eyes and sighed.

"No, Amy. I avoided you because I had to."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It would if you'd stop interrupting me." Amy pursed her lips but stayed silent so he could continue. "Amy, afterwards it hit me like a ton of bricks that I'd just had sex with a girl I kinda sorta had feelings for and that scared me senseless."

"Why…" Ricky arched an eyebrow at her and Amy quit talking so he could finish talking.

"Amy, with the kind of childhood I had I have a hard time letting people get close to me and the fact that all I wanted to do was spend all my free time around and making out with a girl I'd just met scared me. And over the years I've learned that when I'm scared the best thing to do is run away from what scares me until I get somewhere safe. I know that it came across as me avoiding you because all I'd really wanted was to sleep with you but really I was just trying to get away from my feelings for you because they scared me." Amy could see the sincerity in Ricky's eyes and this time she reacted without thinking about it. She reached over and pulled him into a hug, which he eagerly returned.

"I'm sorry, Ricky." He stiffened and pulled back.

"What are you apologizing for?" he asked bewildered. Amy giggled, making Ricky's heart skip a beat.

"It does seem kinda weird for me to be apologizing but what I meant was I'm sorry you're childhood wasn't what it should've been and I'm sorry you're still dealing with the effects of it."

"It's not your fault, Amy, so you've got nothing to apologize for." Amy nodded her head, confusing Ricky even more.

"Ricky, if we'd spent more time getting to know each other before **it** happened, then maybe in time we coulda become friends, if you still weren't sure you wanted to have feelings for me, and then we wouldn't be in the situation we're in. If I'd understood where you were coming from then I would've handled this situation differently." It was Ricky's turn to laugh.

"You mean that had you known your dad **wouldn't** have tried to rip me a new one and your brother **wouldn't** have threatened me with bodily harm?" Amy laughed as well.

"Given who they are and how much they love me they probably would've come down on you regardless, but at least if they'd known that you weren't avoiding me but trying to figure out if you really liked me or not they would've been a little nicer about it." Ricky shook his head in disbelief.

"Guess we'll never know now though, huh?" Amy shrugged.

"Maybe all we need to do is give it some time." Ricky looked at her with hope-filled eyes.

"Does this mean you'll think about forgiving me someday?" Amy gave him a smile.

"Knowing what I know now, yeah. I think in time I can get past it." Ricky smiled back but it quickly vanished.

"Are you still upset enough that you'd be happier if I signed?" Amy thought about his question carefully and the longer she took to answer the quicker Ricky's hopes started to sink.

"I don't know, Ricky. At the moment we don't know each other well enough to raise our kid together as friends so having to talk to you before I can make any decision about the baby growing inside me still makes me nervous, and a little uncomfortable." Ricky hung his head. "But the thought of forcing this baby to grow up without you around doesn't seem quite as appealing as it did before. I really don't know what's best for this baby right now." Before Ricky could formulate a response, Robbie walked over and cleared his throat. Students had filtered back into the gym a little while ago and they were all eagerly watching Robbie walk over to Ricky and his new love interest.

"The dance is almost over, Underwood. What's it gonna be?" Amy looked at Robbie questioningly but he avoided her eyes. "Well?" Simon, Madison, Terrance, and Lauren came over to join them at that point.

"What do you mean, Robbie?" Amy asked. Ricky looked between the two siblings and realized that Amy didn't know about Robbie's ultimatum. He looked at Robbie.

"Are you gonna tell her?" When Robbie didn't answer Amy looked at Ricky.

"Tell me what?" Ricky looked at Amy.

"Robbie and his two buddies approached me at school a couple of days ago and one of 'em knocked the wind outta me. Your brother said if I didn't sign the paper by Friday and give it to him during school the three of 'em would beat me up." Amy narrowed her eyes and gave her brother an annoyed glare. "I asked him at lunch the other day to give me until the end of the dance so I could have a chance to talk to you." Amy suddenly put the pieces of the puzzle together, sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Robbie, now **I** need more time to figure out if having him sign the form is the best thing to do or not." Robbie stared at his sister skeptically for several moments and Amy knew exactly what he was thinking. "He didn't try to talk me out of it; he just gave me some things to think about." Five set of eyes gave Amy a skeptical look before giving Ricky an angry one. Amy stood up, just managing to catch the soda can that was forgotten in her lap before it hit the floor. "I need more time, Robbie," she told her brother more gently. The two shared a silent, sibling conversation with their eyes and Robbie's demeanor softened, but only slightly. He didn't say anything, only nodded his head once in a gesture of acceptance.

"We need to be getting home." Amy turned towards Ricky and said goodbye simply by smiling at him, a smile he returned. Amy turned back around and followed the boys and her best friends out to the parking lot, leaving behind a lot of curious teenagers.


	10. Ricky's Pardon

The drive home was a silent one. Robbie didn't speak to Amy again until they were home and had reached the top of the stairs.

"We'll talk tomorrow," he stated and then walked into his bedroom and shut the door. Amy knew it wasn't a request or a suggestion and if she tried to avoid him he'd simply hunt her down. She laid awake for a couple of hours processing what Ricky had revealed to her and then imagining different scenarios of what raising a child with Ricky might be like, how it would work. Finally tiredness simply overtook her and forced her brain to quiet so she could go to sleep.

When Amy awoke bright and early at 6:30 the next morning, she quietly and quickly got ready for her orientation. She and her siblings often slept in on Saturdays and if Amy didn't have an orientation that morning, she'd still be asleep as well. Her parents were in the kitchen when she came downstairs.

"Morning, sweetie," her dad greeted her from a seat at the kitchen table. When she sat down next to him he leaned over to speak to her stomach. "And hello to you too, grandbaby," he added, causing Amy to smile. Anne placed a plate of breakfast in front of Amy and she dug in. The kitchen was filled with companionable silence and Amy and her parents enjoyed their meal. The meal finished, they all headed out at the same time, George locking the door behind them. He kissed his ladies goodbye and then headed to the furniture store while Anne drove Amy to the nursery.

"I'll be here when you're finished," Anne told her as she put the car in park and then took a paperback novel out of her purse. Amy nodded and then headed inside for her orientation. An hour and a half later, Amy came out carrying several pamphlets of information and then climbed into the car, a huge smile on her face. "All set?" Anne asked. Amy nodded.

"This job is gonna be great, mom!" Amy said excitedly. Anne chuckled as she drove her rather excited fifteen year old back home. When they walked in the house they were greeted by the site of Robbie and Ashley eating their breakfast, which Anne had left warming for them in the oven. Anne's son and youngest daughter looked up in acknowledgment of her presence before returning their attention to their food while Amy went up to her room to skim through her pamphlets again, and wait for her conversation with Robbie. Fifteen minutes later there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Come in," she called out and then looked up. Robbie walked in, shut the door behind him and sat down on her bed. Amy rose from her desk without a word and joined him on her bed, sitting cross legged in the middle.

"So what happened?" Robbie asked, giving Amy a steady stare; she shrugged.

"He explained what happened that night from his point of view and it turns out I didn't have the whole story."

"Meaning?" Amy bit her lip and tried to decide how much of what Ricky had told her she would tell her brother since she'd never asked Ricky if she had his permission to tell anyone else.

"Basically he's a typical guy who doesn't deal well with his feelings and when he realized he might like me like me he got scared and ran, not literally I mean, but he wasn't avoiding me just for the heck of it. It was more like he was trying to hide from his feelings and I just **felt** avoided." Robbie arched an eyebrow questioningly for a moment and then his face became pensive. Being a guy, he got that some guys have a hard time telling a girl they like that they're into them but Ricky took it too far.

"Okay, I can get that. What I'm not okay with is that he had sex with you **before** he got his head on straight and figured out how he felt about you. That **definitely** deserves a beat down." Amy's face became alarmed as she remembered that Ricky had been abused. She also knew that the only way to save Ricky from her brother's wrath was to tell Robbie a little bit of his childhood story.

"You can't!" Robbie looked at Amy with his face full of surprise at her sudden outburst.

"And why not?" he asked calmly, not understanding why any person who'd hurt his little sister in any way **didn't** deserve to be pummeled. Amy licked her suddenly dry lips and stared down at her bedspread. "Well?" Robbie asked with slight irritation.

"Robbie, he told me he has a hard time letting anyone get close to him because he was abused as a kid." Robbie's eyes widened in surprise. "He's in foster care because both his parents drank and his dad was the abusive kind of drunk." Amy suddenly looked up at her brother with tears in her eyes. "Promise me you won't beat him up? Please?" Robbie's one weakness was the tears of his little sisters, the genuine tears anyway. Ashley had figured this out years ago and had tried to use it to her advantage as she grew up but Robbie had developed the ability to tell Ashley's fake tears from her real ones. Amy, on the other hand, never learned how to cry on cue and when she got teary eyed, her tears were **always** real. Robbie sighed and pulled Amy into a hug. She nestled against Robbie's side as he held her head firmly but gently against him.

"Alright, gummie. No beat down, unless it's warranted." Amy pulled back to protest. Sensing her oncoming rant and plea, Robbie kissed her forehead with a smile and pulled her back towards his chest and hugged her tight. "He knows you're pregnant with his baby and now that you two talked, he also knows how much he hurt you. I won't rough him up for all that but if he does anything to hurt you again I'm gonna **have** to lay into him. It's my duty as your big brother to protect you, and avenge you when necessary." Amy pulled back to look at Robbie.

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Robbie. You don't always have to look out for me." Robbie laughed and Amy looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

"Amy, when's the last time you **didn't** worry about someone picking on or messing with Ash?" His question caught her off guard and Amy had to stop and think about it. When she couldn't come up with an answer Robbie chuckled. "Exactly. Looking out for your younger siblings is hardwired into an older sibling's DNA or something. I know you and Ash are old enough to make some of your own decisions and keep yourselves out of trouble but you'll always be my little sisters and so I'll always be looking out for you two **and** going after anyone who hurts you guys." Amy smiled and nodded in understanding.

"You know, when we were in middle school, I used to get so angry at you sometimes for scaring guys away from me. I thought no guy would ever be interested in me because of it. But even though it's annoying sometimes, I **am** happy that you care enough about me to look out for me." Robbie smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Anytime, gummie. Anytime." Robbie released her and she settled in next to him more comfortably, leaning back on her arms.

"So does this mean you and the boys are gonna be nice to Ricky from now on?"

"No." Amy looked at her brother with a mixture of irritation and exasperation, causing Robbie to laugh.

"He got my little sister pregnant before he married her or was even her boyfriend. Then I find out he avoided you after doing the deed." Amy opened her mouth to say something but Robbie cut her off. "Even if it was because his childhood left him afraid to let anybody get too close to him emotionally. He's in the doghouse with me until I see him treat you the way you deserve to be treated. 'Til then I don't care how much he apologizes and says the words 'I'm sorry'. I promised not to throw punches his way for now but that doesn't mean he's gotta become my new best friend just because he's the father of your baby." Amy smiled and shook her head at her brother. "Underwood gets a pardon for stealing your virginity and making you cry, this time, but it's a one-time pass."

"Okay, okay. I get it." Robbie smiled back at her and kissed her temple.

"So how was orientation?" Amy's smile got even wider.

"Great! This job actually looks like it'll be some fun. The paperwork I get to file is for all the kids in the nursery so from time to time I'll get to see the little tykes. And during orientation I got to tour the whole place and learn some of the ins and outs of running a daycare center so when people call with questions I can answer them. And you wanna know the best part?"

"What?"

"Caroline, that's my boss, she said employees can enroll their kids at the nursery for half the cost of a regular year-long enrollment so I've got at least one daycare center that I know will be a good, safe place for my baby while I'm at school." Robbie smiled at Amy's obvious enthusiasm. He suddenly jumped up and held out his hand to her with a smile.

"Let's go."

"Go where?" Amy asked, taking his hand and letting him pull her to her feet. He didn't answer, just dragged her out of her room and down the hallway towards Ashley's room. He knocked on the door quickly.

"Yeah?" came Ashley's bored replied. Robbie opened the door and poked his head in.

"Let's go."

"Go where?"

"Just come on." Ashley rolled her eyes but got up from her desk to follow Robbie anyway. He led the way downstairs, still dragging Amy behind him. Anne looked up as her children filed into the kitchen. "We're going out for a bit mom."

"Okay. Be safe." Robbie opened the door and ushered his sisters outside, shutting the door behind him with his foot. Once they were all piled into his car and buckled up, he started the car.

"So are you gonna tell us where we're going now?" Ashley asked, slightly curious now.

"Shopping." There was a moment of silence in the car. Amy looked into the rearview mirror from the front seat and caught Ashley's eye. Seeing the same look of disbelief the two girls burst into laughter.

"Robbie, you hate shopping with us," Amy told him, trying to contain her laughter.

"Not this kind," he answered with a smile, turning down a street and heading for their dad's furniture store.

"Meaning?" Ashley pressed.

"Meaning," Robbie started, turning down a street a couple of blocks from their dad's store "that Amy's getting all fired up about working to take care of our niece or nephew and looking at daycare centers and I think we should get a start on buying stuff for the kid." Robbie pulled into a parking spot and the girls looked at where they were. Robbie had driven them to a baby boutique that they'd driven past countless times on the way to visit their dad at work. Robbie walked to the door and held it open for Amy and Ashley to walk through. The three sibling stopped just inside the front doors, not sure exactly where to start. They shared a confused look before Robbie took charge. "Let's just start at one end and go up and down looking at everything." It sounded like a good plan so they headed for aisle number one and started looking.

While Ashley was surprised at everything people needed and wanted to buy for a baby, Amy's face lit up the more they browsed and she began cooing over practically everything she saw. The three siblings shared some laughs at objects such as a basinet set that was violently pink and literally covered in pink bows and a baby bathtub that resembled a rubber ducky. Amy vehemently vetoed a mobile Ashley wanted to buy for the baby that was various shades of black and grey and featured cartoony bats while Robbie saw the cutest little green onesie that said 'Party, My Crib, 2AM' across it and decided his little niece or nephew just had to have it. Amy decided to buy several books about what to expect during pregnancy and her baby's first year, which Robbie bought for her.

"Just consider them gifts for the baby," he told her. Ashley settled on a cute little stuffed frog and they all headed to the checkout in high spirits. Unfortunately for Amy, a girl who attended Grant High had seen them and overheard Robbie tell Amy the books were gifts for the baby. She had also been at the dance last night and witnessed the exchange between Ricky and Robbie. Putting two and two together, she began texting like mad.


	11. Newsflash

As Robbie pulled into the driveway, his and Amy's cellphones went off. Amy answered hers as she climbed out of the car.

"What's up Lauren?"

"Where are you!?" Lauren asked, her voice panicked.

"I just got back home from shopping. What's up?"

"Come over! Now!" Amy's brows furrowed in confusion. She turned to tell Robbie she was going over to Lauren's but saw that he was running towards the kitchen door of Madison's house so she turned back to Ashley.

"I'm going over to Lauren's" Ashley nodded and headed into the house while Amy headed for Lauren's. Once she got there Madison and Lauren met her in the kitchen, grabbed her arms, dragged her upstairs to Lauren's room and shut the door. Before Amy could ask what was going on Madison spoke up.

"People know!"

"Know what?"

"That you're pregnant!" Lauren said worriedly.

"What!? How? The only people I've told are you two and Robbie only told the boys." Madison pulled out her cellphone and showed it to Amy. The screen read: Ricky knocked up Amy Juergens! Did you know? Amy looked at Madison in confusion. "Who's Sarah?"

"My lab partner in Biology. Oh Amy, how do you think this got out?" Before she could answer the boys came barging into the room, Robbie looking like he'd just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Simon looking worried about Amy's reaction and Terrance looking very angry. Terrance shut the door behind him.

"Do you know?" he asked hotly.

"That other people know? Yeah. How'd **you** know?" Amy asked curiously. Robbie sighed and answered her.

"So apparently Melissa Thomas was in the baby store while we were there today and she heard me tell you the books were a gift for the baby. She was at the party last night and saw you and Ricky talking, and me grab him, and put it all together." Amy's eyes widened in surprise but quickly narrowed with confusion.

"How do you know all that?" she asked curiously. This time it was Simon who answered.

"She texted the info to a bunch of her girlfriends, including Tommy Pearson's girlfriend, who texted it to Tommy who texted me, since he knows I'm friends with Robbie and he's had a crush on you since we were in like the third grade." The crush was news to Amy but she had a more pressing concern on her mind. She glanced around the room.

"We gotta tell the 'rents."

"What for?" Madison asked.

"Madison, if our peers know now, it's only a matter of time before their parents find out and we should at least give ours a heads up that the rumors and negativity are about to start flying." Madison glumly nodded in agreement, as did everyone else. "Since your house is in the middle let's ask our parents to all come over to your guy's place." Everyone nodded and quickly dispersed. Amy and Robbie headed home to ask their mom and Ashley to join them at the Coopersteins' for a moment while Lauren and Terrance headed home to ask their parents to do the same. Once all the parents, minus George who was still at work, were assembled, Amy spoke for the group.

"So I don't know if the girls and guys told you all, but I'm pregnant." Amy watched the parents exchange surprised and then sympathetic glances. "I'm not telling you guys because I'm looking for sympathy. I'm telling you because some of the kids at school are starting to talk about it and we didn't want you all to be caught off guard once people start talking about me." Madison and Simon's dad recovered first. He looked at the six of them.

"You all knew already?" They nodded and then Madison spoke up.

"Amy told us the day after her doctor confirmed it and Robbie told the guys."

"How did these other teens find out?" Terrance and Lauren's mom asked.

"I took Amy and Ashley to a baby store a little while ago to start shopping for things and a girl we go to school with overheard me tell Amy I was buying her the books she wanted as a gift for the baby. She texted some people and it got back around to us." Simon chimed in.

"We figured you guys should be clued in before the rest of our community starts getting wind of this and talking about Amy." Madison's step-mother looked around nervously. As much as she loved her family and got along with everyone, she still felt a little like an outsider and wasn't sure if she should speak up, but she was feeling brave today.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" she asked Amy. Amy smiled at her.

"No, thank you. I've gotten a job and I'm working on childcare arrangements for while I'm at school. I just wanted you guys to be prepared in case any negative vibes came your kids' way just because they're friends with me and my family."

"Don't worry about a bunch of gossips, Amy," Lauren's mom assured her. "We know who you are, we love you and we've got your back." Madison and Simon's dad nodded their heads in agreement.

"Thanks Mrs. Debra," Amy said with a smile.

"I think this calls for a family barbeque," Mr. Cooperstein said, earning a confused look from the teens. For the past thirteen years, ever since the boys were three, whenever one of the three families had a reason to celebrate they would call up the other two and the three families would have a barbeque to share the good news. Mr. Cooperstein looked at the teens' confused faces. "Oh come on. I understand that no parent wants their child to become a parent as a teenager but having a baby is still a reason to celebrate and Amy's a sweetheart. She'll be a great mother, just like her mom." At his explanation and praise Amy rushed forward to hug him.

"Thanks Mr. C." He chuckled and hugged her back.

"No thanks necessary kido." Anne smiled and stood.

"I'll call George and let him know and we'll see you all in a bit," Anne stated. The teens dispersed while the adults organized who was bringing what to the barbeque. The girls headed up to Madison's room to gab while the boys dispersed to get changed into workout gear and shoot hoops in the Treacys' backyard for a bit. Anne called George to fill him in and he promised to close up shop early and buy the meat on his way home. Anne prepared a salad and was working on making iced tea when Madison's step-mother came into the kitchen carrying a large bowl of potato salad and then placed it in the fridge to chill. Debra was right behind her carrying a platter of cut up vegetables and a large bowl of dip, which she also placed in the fridge to chill. The men got to work getting the folding tables and chairs out of the garage and setting them up while the women chatted in the kitchen and sipped iced tea, secretly planning a small baby shower for Amy. The girls came over a little while later and settled into the living room to watch a movie until the barbeque was ready. George arrived shortly thereafter, laden with burgers and hotdogs for the grill. He said a quick hello to Amy and then headed out back to join the other men around the grill.

As the three families settled down around the tables to dig into their little feast, Amy looked around and smiled. Sure she still had a lot of things to figure out about how she was actually going to take care of a baby while working and going to school, but she knew it would be a little easier to figure it all out with so much love and support around her. She caught Robbie's eye down the table as he reached over to grab a burger for his plate; he smiled and winked at her. She turned to her left when she heard Lauren try to get her attention and she joined into the carefree, mindless chatter with her family and friends.


	12. Defending Her Honor

"So is it true?" Ricky inwardly cringed. He knew who that voice belonged to and he wasn't in the mood to deal with her, especially considering he could hear irritation in her voice. He shut his locker and turned to face the girl who had spoken to him.

"Is what true, Adrian?" he asked with a bored tone of voice.

"Did you get that Amy girl pregnant?"

"Who wants to know?" he replied, knowing his answer would grate on her nerves. Adrian quickly looked around to make sure no one was within earshot of them.

"Are you the father of her baby or not?" Adrian asked again, her teeth clenched. Ricky nodded but didn't offer anything else to the conversation. "Well!?"

"Well what?"

"Is she gonna keep it?" Ricky's brows furrowed angrily.

"Of course she is!" he said fiercely, causing Adrian to blanch and take a surprised step back.

"Wait, you **want** her to keep it? Who in their right mind **wants** to be a parent in high school!?" Ricky rolled his eyes and adjusted the strap of his back pack over his shoulder.

"We're having a baby, Adrian. We're not just gonna shove the kid off on some strangers." Ricky turned to walk away but Adrian grabbed his arm.

"We?" Ricky just looked at her, waiting for Adrian to elaborate on her question. "So what, are you two like together now or something? You don't have to be with a girl just because you knocked her up you know." Adrian's voice became seductive as she took a step closer to Ricky. "We could still fool around, and we're both smart enough to be careful about it," she said with a suggestive smile. Ricky tugged his arm free of her grasp and rolled his eyes again.

"I've already got one kid on the way, Adrian. I'm a little busy tryna deal with that to hook up with you right now." He walked away and Adrian huffed with annoyance as she glared at his back and crossed her arms. _How did some little band geek get to him before me? What's she got that I don't?_ Adrian wondered as she stormed off down the hallway in the opposite direction. At Ben and Henry's lockers Ben was sighing once again as he placed the books he wouldn't need for the first half of the day in his locker.

"What?" Henry asked, not looking away from his own open locker. Ben shut his locker door and leaned his forehead against it.

"How'd he do it?" Henry shut his locker door and turned to face his friend.

"How'd who do what?" he asked as Alice walked over to join them. Ben turned around so he was leaning against the lockers.

"How'd Ricky get to Amy before me." He turned his head to look at Alice. "I thought you said Amy was the kinda girl who'd be desperate enough to sleep with me." Alice arched an eyebrow at Ben, annoyed with him.

"First of all, looks can apparently be deceiving. Second, if she's far enough along that a pregnancy test would come up positive then, doing the math, she met and slept with Ricky before school started so it's not my fault that my assessment of her was incorrect," Alice stated matter-of-factly. Ben sighed, conceding defeat to Alice and the three of them headed towards their morning classes. Amy, Lauren and Madison did their best to ignore the stares and whispers of their fellow students as they made their way to their classes also. It wasn't until lunch that Amy was confronted with the gossip about her. Amy, Madison and Lauren were carrying their lunches outside looking for a table that was mostly in the shade since it was a nice but rather warm day. They had just rounded the corner of a hedge in the courtyard when the voices of some girls on the other side of it drifted their way.

"I can't believe she got knocked up by Ricky," said one girl.

"I know!" replied another. "Everyone knows he sleeps around. You'd think she wouldn't be stupid enough to let him talk her into not using a condom."

"How do you know he talked her into it?" a third girl asked.

"Oh come on!" said the first girl. "It's Ricky Underwood, and have you seen her? She's a quiet little band geek. He **totally** talked her into it."

"Yeah," the second girl agreed. "How stupid and naïve can you get?" Unfortunately for the three girls in question, Robbie, Simon and Terrance were sitting at a table within earshot of them and, after overhearing this conversation, were quite heated. The three boys stood up and turned to walk over to the girls and saw that Amy, Madison and Lauren were stopped in their tracks starring at the girls. Seeing Amy's embarrassed and tearful expression, Robbie lost it. He marched over to the girls table and slammed his hands in front of the second girl who'd spoken.

"And what makes you such an intelligent saint, Melissa?" he said with a slightly raised voice as he addressed his classmate. Melissa started and looked at Robbie with confused eyes as the heads of several other students turned their way.

"Huh?" she said stupidly, not sure why the guy she had a crush on was suddenly angry with her.

"Why are you so certain Amy's only pregnant because she's stupid and naïve?" Melissa didn't have an answer. "So you mean to tell me that in the sixteen or so years you've been alive you've never **once** made a poor decision or judgment call? Hmm?"

"Well, I….I mean."

"So you've never done anything that caused you to have to deal with an unintended consequence?" Still Melissa couldn't formulate a response. Simon jumped in with another question.

"You expect us to believe that you've never done **anything** that caused your parents to ground you or take away a privilege?" Simon turned to Terrance and rolled his eyes. "Yep, definitely a saint this one." Terrance sniggered and smirked at Melissa, his eyes glaring at her. At Simon and Terrance's behavior one of Melissa's friends came to her defense.

"Why are you sticking up for some little slut anyway, Simon?" asked the first girl who'd spoken. She should've chosen her words more carefully because the eyes of all three boys turned ice cold, the kind of cold that led to the creation of the phrase 'if looks could kill.' The girl recoiled but Simon invaded her personal space and verbally pounced on her before Robbie could. Simon likewise slammed his hands down in front of the girl and continued glaring at her.

"Obviously your parents never taught you that name calling is rude, Danielle," Simon said, his voice as ice cold as his glare even though his voice itself was elevated enough that the small crowd of students who had now gathered to see what was going on could hear him. "Just having sex doesn't make a girl a slut. Using sex as a means to an end, like you do, makes a girl a slut. And that's not name calling, that's calling something for what it is. Likewise getting pregnant doesn't make a girl a slut. Now, Amy happened to get pregnant the first time she had sex little Ms. No-it-all and even then it wasn't planned." Danielle flinched, trying to physically get away from the harshness that Simon was directing at her. Like Danielle had tried to do for Melissa, the third girl at the table tried to come to Danielle's rescue.

"So apparently you guys have a problem with the word slut but why are you getting so heated about **this** girl? Do you all have a crush on her or something?" she asked, not understanding what all the fuss and hostility was about. Terrance answered her question.

"Do you have any siblings, Karen?" he asked calmly. Karen shook her head, her eyes still confused. "Did you have any family friends growing up that were like brothers or sisters to you?" Again Karen shook her head. "Then you couldn't possibly understand this, but Amy's our little sister." The three girls' eyes widened in shock and then filled with confusion as they looked between the three boys. Terrance rolled his eyes and looked up towards their sisters, who were still standing just past the edge of the hedge. He motioned for them to come over and, hesitantly, Amy began moving forward, Lauren and Madison right beside her. The crowd moved back to let the girls pass and when they reached the boys, each put his arm around his sister. Terrance looked at the three gossips and then the small crown around them before him and spoke again, speaking a little louder to make sure everyone could hear him.

"Listen up everybody 'cuz I'm only gonna explain this once. These are our biological little sisters," he paused to motion to Amy and the girls before continuing, "Robbie, Simon and I have lived next door to each other since we were babies and before our little sisters all came along. Being best friends and practically family, you mess with one of our sisters, you deal with all three of their big brothers. Got it?" He looked around the crowd and then down at the three gossips. Seeing a few nods and looks of understanding, Robbie spoke up as well.

"So let's get it straight people. Yes, my little sister's pregnant. Yes, Ricky Underwood's the father. No, she's not a slut, or any other derogatory word you can come up with, and if anyone's got something to say about it you'll have to deal with the three of us. We clear?" He likewise looked around the crowd and then back at the three girls. Seeing that no one had anything else to say, Robbie nodded his head once in approval. "And now you can all go back to your lunches." Robbie, with his arm still around Amy's shoulders, led her over to the table he'd been sitting at, the boys and their sisters following, as the crowd gradually dispersed.

After the boys sticking up for Amy, and basically scarring every other boy at school away from Lauren and Madison, the rest of the day went by much quieter. Being high school, students were still gossiping and whispering about Amy but now there was an element of fear involved. Now students looked around first to make sure none of Amy's big brothers were within earshot and they quickly stopped talking if they were. Oh the boys knew people were still talking about Amy but at least this way she wouldn't have to accidentally overhear any of the talk while she was at school. Ricky wasn't quite so lucky. Now that people knew how overprotective Amy's brothers were, many were surprised that Ricky was still breathing. In fact, a fellow band mate approached him at his locker after fourth period. He looked around nervously before speaking to Ricky.

"Dude, how are you not in a hospital somewhere?" Ricky's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Huh?" The other guy rolled his eyes.

"You saw how in your face her brothers got with those girls. They should've thrashed you by now!" the guy said in disbelief. Ricky huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Amy and I are tryna figure things out so I guess they're just waiting to see how things play out," Ricky replied, shrugging his shoulders. As Ricky headed down the steps to his next class he only had one thought: _how __**are**__ things going to play out?_


	13. Expecting & Expectations

Over the next several months there were quite a few changes at the Juergens household. First of all, Amy's room had been rearranged and half of it was now a nursery. Secondly, Ricky was now a regular fixture at their house. As Amy started working and saving up for her baby's arrival, she gradually began buying the things her baby would need, with her mother's help of course since Amy had no clue what a baby **actually** needed. George and Anne had bought the large items: a crib, changing table, car seat, playpen, highchair, baby bathtub, and a rocking chair. True to his word, Robbie got a weekend part-time job and bought his future niece or nephew plenty of stuffed animals, toys and storybooks. Seeing Amy's initiative, Ricky likewise went out and found a job, answering a help wanted ad at Boykewich Butcher shop, and he likewise added to his child's stash of toys, clothes, and books.

After Robbie and the boys defended Amy at school, Ricky approached Robbie and asked him to get his parents' permission for him to come by their house and speak to Amy; George and Anne reluctantly agreed. While the initial conversations focused on what level of involvement Ricky wanted and what Amy would be comfortable with him having, they slowly began to evolve into conversations about how they were going to raise their child together. After any emotionally taxing conversations, Robbie and Ashley always joined Amy in her bedroom with a bag of gumdrops and talked to her while the three of them ate the candy, helping lift her mood and soothe her nerves. By the third month of Amy's pregnancy, Anne decided it was time to enroll in birthing classes. Anne went to the first three with Amy before Amy came to a decision. As she and Anne were heading home from their third class, Amy turned to her mother in the car.

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd like to ask Ricky to come to these classes with me instead of you," Amy informed her mother, biting her lip nervously.

"If that's what you want." Amy was surprised by her mother agreeing so quickly.

"You're okay with that?" Anne chuckled.

"Amy, birthing classes were intended for expectant mothers and fathers of their babies. If you want Ricky to go with you then you should ask him."

"So you and dad don't hate him anymore for….all this?" Amy asked hesitantly. Anne smiled.

"We never **hated** him, Amy, we just wanted to wring his neck. He's been taking steps to do right by you and this baby and, as parents, we see and appreciate that. Now I can't speak for your father, but I don't feel quite as negatively about him as I did the night I found out he'd gotten my baby girl pregnant." Amy sighed with relief and settled back into her seat for the rest of the ride home. A few minutes later a question came to Amy's mind.

"Does this mean I can talk to him at school now?" Anne chuckled as she pulled into the driveway. She put the car in park and unbuckled her seatbelt before turning towards her daughter.

"I'll talk to your father about it first," Anne said with a smile. Amy headed up to her room to finish her homework and get ready for bed while Anne explained Amy's requests to George. At first he wasn't happy with the idea of Amy and Ricky being alone together again so soon but after Anne reminded him that it would only be for an hour, there would be plenty of other people around, and Amy was already pregnant, George agreed that if Amy wanted Ricky to go to birthing classes with her then she could ask him. He then agreed the two of them could talk at school since they were already talking plenty after school. Amy didn't waste any time. The next day at school she approached Ricky with her request and he agreed. The next two months of Amy's pregnancy progressed rather smoothly. She went to school, went to work, went to birthing classes, and prepared physically and mentally for the arrival of her baby. Even though students could now see that Amy was pregnant, no one said anything to her about it to her face, for fear of her brothers' wrath. But plenty of girls got on Ricky's case, including Adrian, who wasn't shy about approaching him at school.

"So you still playing daddy?" Ricky sighed with irritation.

"Whatd'ya want, Adrian? We never slept together and I'm too busy to care for random hookups right now so what is it?" Adrian crossed her arms and looked at Ricky calmly.

"You know once the kid gets here she's gonna hate you for turning her into a teen mom," Adrian stated. Ricky had realized several weeks ago that Adrian was upset with Amy for some reason and had decided to try and make him want to avoid her. What he couldn't figure out was why and he decided now was as good a time as any to just ask.

"Adrian, why are you so determined to try and keep me away from Amy?" Adrian kept her gaze unreadable as she answered.

"She's not your type and you'll leave her eventually." Ricky looked at her skeptically.

"And you're so sure of that because?" Adrian smirked.

"We're the same, Ricky. We like sex and not being tied down to just one person. I'm attracted to you, you're attracted to me, and we're both interested in sex, not like your baby momma. So why waste your time hanging around her when we could be having fun together." Ricky rolled his eyes and raised his hands to make air quotations.

"'Having fun'," he said before lowering his arms, "is how Amy **got** pregnant, and taking care of the mother of my baby **isn't** a waste of time," he informed her before walking away. Adrian stood there for a moment giving Ricky's back a look of disbelief. When she turned around she came face-to-face with Simon, who had stopped for a drink of water from the nearby fountain and had overheard the entire conversation. He leaned against the nearby lockers and gave Adrian a smug look.

"What?" Adrian asked with annoyance.

"I'll give you an 'A' for effort but **definitely** an 'F' for personality." He turned to walk away but Adrian ran past him and stopped in front of him, putting her hands on her hips.

"And what's **that** supposed to mean, buddy?" she asked, now angry. Simon wasn't fazed by her expression or tone of voice.

"You're throwing yourself at a guy who's no longer interested in you so 'A' for effort. The fact you're throwing yourself at him by insulting someone who actually means a little something to him **and** putting down his character gets you an 'F' for personality. No one likes a two-faced backstabber," Simon informed her with another smirk before walking around her and heading to his next class, leaving a stunned and gaping Adrian in his wake.

Adrian continued trying to regain Ricky's attention over the next three months of Amy's pregnancy to no avail. By this time Amy had learned that she was expecting a little boy and she and Ricky were on their way to becoming genuine friends. Thanks to the conversation Simon had overheard and passed along to Robbie and Terrance, the boys' attitude towards Ricky warmed, but only slightly. Robbie had been watching Ricky like a hawk this whole time to make sure he didn't say or do anything to upset or hurt Amy, not because he was looking for a reason to beat Ricky up but simply because he couldn't help it.

Shortly after Amy entered her eight month of pregnancy, Anne, Debra and Mrs. Cooperstein, Emily, threw Amy a small baby shower. Anne had talked Amy, and the rest of her family, out of buying certain items for the baby so Amy could be surprised with them at her shower. It was held at the nursery and, besides her family and closest friends, her grandmother, Dr. Hightower, and Amy's co-workers attended as well. It was a lovely afternoon and everyone was cheerful, despite the fact they all knew they were celebrating that a fifteen year old was about to bring a child into this world.

Things had definitely changed at the Juergens household since Amy informed her family seven-and-a-half months ago that she was pregnant, but the changes weren't for the worse. In fact, everyone was in good spirits one Saturday afternoon two weeks prior to Amy's due date. She was sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch with her mother and sister when Robbie and Ricky walked in the kitchen door. Both boys worked on Saturdays and got off work about the same time so it was common for Ricky to arrive at the house just as Robbie did. The girls looked up and smiled when they saw who was at the door but Amy's smile suddenly vanished to be replaced with a look of surprise as the sound of water spilling on the floor suddenly reached everyone's ears. Amy turned surprised eyes to her mother.

"Mom, I think my water just broke." Suddenly everyone sprang into action. Ashley raced upstairs to grab Amy's overnight bag from her bedroom while Robbie and Ricky rushed to Amy as she slowly maneuvered herself out of her chair. As they helped Amy out to the car, Anne speed dialed George's cell and, when he picked up, told him it was go time.


	14. Go Time

Anne rushed to the car and started it and then opened the passenger door for Amy just as Ashley came running outside carrying Amy's overnight bag. Robbie and Ricky gingerly guided Amy towards the passenger door and got her seated. Robbie quickly climbed in the backseat with Ashley and Anne backed down the driveway while Ricky raced to his own car to follow Anne to the hospital. When Anne pulled up, George was waiting for them with a wheelchair and a nurse. George pushed the wheelchair up to the passenger door, so Amy wouldn't have to walk very far, and then a nurse guided him and his children to Amy's room in the maternity ward while Anne parked the car. Once Amy was settled, Robbie went and found his mother to tell her where Amy was and then he texted the boys and girls. Before long Amy had a group of visitors. The Cooperstein and Treacy foursomes all arrived and soon Amy's room was packed with thirteen people. A nurse came by to check Amy's vitals and frowned when she saw the crowd.

"Okay everyone. I know you wanna wish her well and all but having this many people in here is a fire hazard. Only immediate family may stay and the rest of you can visit in groups of two or three at a time." The gang left begrudgingly but promised to stop by later on; the teens insisted upon waiting around so their parents hugged them goodbye and made them promise to text them when the baby arrived.

It wasn't until Robbie witnessed Amy's first contraction that his tentative truce with Ricky was tested. He was sitting on a couch in Amy's room chatting with her to help the time pass when a contraction hit. She reached out for Anne's hand, as she was siting the closest to Amy, and gripped it tightly as she did her best to breathe through the pain. Seeing his little sister's pained expression made his blood boil. He knew contractions were one of the painful aspects of childbirth but having to watch and hear Amy go through it and knowing there was nothing he could do about it was heartbreaking for Robbie. Once the contraction passed, Amy relaxed for a bit. Anne went to use the restroom, George went in search of a snack and Ashley went to the nurses' station to refill Amy's pitcher of cold water that was by her bedside, leaving Robbie to take Anne's place. When Amy's next contraction hit, Robbie saw red. Amy reached out again and this time Robbie held her hand. Seeing the pain on her face and feeling how hard she was gripping his hand as she did her best to breathe through the pain made his mind go blank except for a single thought: _I'm gonna kill him!_ When the contraction passed and Amy sagged back against her pillows to try and relax, Robbie kissed her forehead and gave her an encouraging smile.

"You're doing great, gummie." Amy gave him a small smile back. Ashley came back in with the refilled pitcher and Robbie spoke to her as she set it down. "I'll be back in a little bit." He left Amy's room on a mission to find Ricky. Robbie found him in the waiting area with his head in his hands. His dejected posture made Robbie pause in his tracks for a moment and he started rethinking what he was about to do. _Hitting him won't make Amy feel better and it'd probably not be the best idea to start a fight, get the police involved, and stress Amy out right now. Maybe there's another way for him to pay for the pain she's going through. _Robbie walked up to Ricky and stopped in front of him. Ricky snapped out of his pity party when he noticed a pair of shoes in front of him. Looking up, he locked eyes with Robbie. "Time to pony up, Romeo." Ricky's eyes filled with confusion. Robbie grabbed his right arm and hauled him to his feet. Releasing his hold he ushered Ricky to Amy's room. When they arrived Robbie saw that Anne had resumed her position near Amy's bedside. "Hey, mom?" Anne looked up at him.

"Yes?"

"Ricky needs to take over for a bit." Anne gave him a puzzled expression, as did his dad and sisters. "Holding Amy's hand, I mean." Amy looked at Robbie like he'd just gone off the deep end but George understood what his son was trying to do.

"Hey, Anne," George said, causing Anne to look over her shoulder to where he was sitting on the couch with Ashley. "He's part of this whole process too so let him be a part of it," he told her with a slight smirk. Seeing her husband's smirk turned on a light bulb for Anne. Finally realizing what Robbie was up to, Anne sighed and moved to sit in another armchair in the room. Amy looked at her mother with confused and pleading eyes while Robbie led Ricky to Amy's bedside, not bothering to hide the mischievous grin on his face. There were several minutes of awkward silence as Amy and Ricky weren't sure what to talk about and how long he'd be there. In all of their talks they'd somehow managed to never discuss if Ricky would be in the room or not when she actually delivered. The silence was broken by another contraction. Amy instinctively reached out for Ricky's hand and squeezed as she breathed through the pain. Robbie felt a sense of satisfaction when he saw Ricky's face slightly contort with pain as well, but to Ricky's credit, he didn't try to remove his hand from Amy's grip. When the contraction passed, Ricky looked over his shoulder at Robbie and the two young men shared a silent conversation.

Ricky looked at Robbie with a pained expression and his eyes full of guilt. _I get it. I did this to her and you wanted me in pain since she's in pain. Believe me, I'm sorry I did this to her. _Robbie looked back with his eyes narrowed and his arms crossed. _I hear you. But don't think this makes up for it all yet._ Ricky gave Robbie a look of resignation that was quickly replaced by sincerity and determination. _I know. I'm gonna do right by her, I swear!_ Robbie arched an eyebrow at Ricky. _You better._ George observed their conversation and his heart swelled with pride, just a little bit. It made him proud that his son had a strong sense of family loyalty and was willing to stick up for his sisters. It also made him proud that his son had developed the ability to silently threaten guys who messed with his girls, making Robbie the perfect candidate to stand in for George when he wasn't or couldn't be present to deal with said guys right away. The girls were oblivious to all of this.

The next several hours went by fairly uneventfully. Amy had contractions and squeezed Ricky's hand when they hit; Amy napped on and off for a bit; George and Robbie went out to get everyone dinner once dinner time rolled around; and the girls and boys came in every hour or so, if Amy was awake, to chat with her to help the time pass. Finally after seven hours into Amy's labor, she was dilated enough that she could have an epidural, much to Robbie's eternal relief. Even though Ricky was 'paying for his crimes' by holding Amy's hand through each contraction, Robbie still felt helpless, and angry because of it, as he had to sit by and watch his little gummie in so much pain and know that there was only more pain yet to come. Everyone except Anne stepped out of the room while Amy got the epidural and when they came back in Amy was drowsy and drifted off to sleep again soon after.

When Amy woke up again, she was in a much better mood. Anne and George chatted about how excited they were to meet their newest family member and they asked Amy what she was gonna name her little boy, causing Amy to have a moment of confusion.

"What, sweetie?" Anne asked, seeing Amy's expression.

"I don't know what his name's gonna be. Whose last name do I give him? Am I even **allowed** to name him? I mean, being a minor and all?" Anne chuckled.

"Amy, you're his mother. Of **course** you're allowed to have a say in your baby's name. And his last name's up to you as well." Amy turned toward Ricky.

"What do you wanna name him?" Ricky turned shocked eyes to Amy.

"Ummm….I kinda figured that….given our….situation….you wouldn't want me to have a say or anything," Ricky responded, blushing slightly from embarrassment. "Name him whatever sounds like a good name to you." Amy rolled her eyes.

"Oh sure, make me out to be the bad guy if I stick the kid with a horrible name." Ricky became slightly alarmed at her words.

"I didn't mean it like that, and I wasn't implying…" Ashley and Robbie sniggered, causing Ricky to look at them. Seeing their mirthful expressions Ricky looked back down at Amy, who was smirking at him.

"I was teasing," she told him with a smile. Ricky relaxed.

"Ok, so let's start with a last name. I think he should have yours. It feels kinda weird sticking my kid with my last name given who my parents are and everything," Ricky said while starring at the blanket covering Amy.

"Okay. Any thoughts on a first name?" Ricky shrugged so Amy turned to the rest of her family. "What name do you guys think would go well with Juergens for the little guy?" Everyone thought about it for a few minutes but their thoughts were momentarily interrupted when another contraction hit Amy; Ricky dutifully held her hand. Once it had passed and Amy had caught her breath, she turned her focus back to her family. "Any ideas? I got nothing." Ashley spoke up.

"I vote for John."

"Awwww," Anne said, "That's adorable."

"Do we know any Johns?" Amy asked. Ashley shrugged.

"It just goes with Juergens. Plus it's simple and his life's gonna be a little more complicated than normal anyway, given the givens." She said it with a smile so no one would take her statement the wrong way. Having teens parents who weren't married and didn't live together **would** make little John's childhood interesting, but he'd have enough loving family members around to make sure he was well taken care of and loved. Amy smiled.

"I like it. John." She turned to Ricky. "What do you think?" He returned her smile.

"I think it's perfect." Amy's doctor walked in a split second later.

"Alright everyone. I need to check Amy and see where we are." Having been at the hospital for over ten hours, everyone knew the drill. They stepped out while Amy was checked and Robbie went to inform John's little welcoming party what was going on. As George and Anne leaned against the wall outside Amy's room, they turned to look at each other.

"You ready for this?" George asked hesitantly. Anne gave him a small reassuring smile.

"We've come this far and I know we'll figure the rest out as we go." Ashley smiled at her mother's words just as Robbie came jogging down the hallway to rejoin them. The doctor stepped out into the hallway and addressed them.

"Okay, it's go time." She turned to George and Robbie. "Amy says you two can come in if you want and just stay above all the action," she told them with a smile. Ricky paled slightly.

"I'll be in the waiting room with everyone else," he informed them before turning on his heel and heading down the hallway. Ricky slumped into the first empty chair he came to when he arrived at the waiting room. Madison was sitting in a chair opposite of his and spoke to him.

"Any changes?" she asked excitedly, eager to meet her 'nephew.' Ricky looked up at her.

"The doctor said it was go time so the next time we see anyone the baby will be here," he told her with a small smile, the thought of seeing his son for the first time making him feel a little excited, even though he was both physically and emotionally drained at the moment, not to mention his left hand was still killing him. The five teens waited for news of little John's arrival and Madison's excitement got the best of her. She started chatting about all the things she couldn't wait to do with her nephew.

"I'll take him to the park on the weekends and teach him how to sing, of course," Madison said brightly. Lauren laughed.

"Madison, he won't be big enough to play at the park or learn how to sing for quite a while yet. Why don't you just plan on going over to Amy's and playing with him for starters and wait until he's got control of his motor skills before you plan park outings." Madison stuck her tongue out at Lauren and huffed but her excitement wasn't abated. Simon and Terrance laughed as well.

"Awww, go easy on her, Lauren. We're all excited about the little guy," Simon said. Everyone, including Ricky, shared a smile. Ricky checked his watch and decided he didn't wanna sit in the waiting room anymore. He headed back towards Amy's room and waited in the hallway, eager to hear that his son had arrived. He leaned against the wall for twenty more minutes before the door opened and a smiling Robbie came out. He spotted Ricky and silently motioned for Ricky to come on in. Ricky walked into the room and stopped in his tracks at the foot of Amy's bed, burning the sight before him into his memory. There before him was Amy, a peaceful and joyful expression on her face and filling her eyes. And there in her arms, wrapped in a blue blanket and fast asleep, was his son.


	15. Welcome to the Family

Amy looked up from her son's sleeping face at Ricky and gave him a tired smile. He slowly made his way to her bedside, too in awe to move very fast. When he reached her side, Amy held John out towards him and Ricky gingerly took the little bundle from her arms. It's been said that a women becomes a mother when she finds out she's pregnant but a man doesn't become a father until he holds his child for the first time. George and Anne saw on Ricky's face the exact moment he transformed from their daughter's baby daddy into their grandson's father and they smiled. Someway, somehow, this was all going to work out just fine. Ashley couldn't stop smiling as she watched Ricky hold her nephew and Robbie gave Amy and his nephew each one more smile before racing to the waiting room. Robbie was so excited that he started yelling the good news when he was still halfway down the hallway.

"He's here! He's here! John's finally here! He's got all ten fingers and all ten toes and everything! He's perfect!" Lauren, Madison, Simon and Terrance jumped to their feet and raced down the hallway to meet him, smiles plastered on all their faces. They quickly made their way back to Amy's room while the nurses at the nurses' station just shook their heads at their behavior, the ones who were mothers themselves doing so with a smile. When they all come into Amy's room, knowing a nurse would probably boot them all out soon for overpopulating Amy's room again, there was a chorus of 'awwws' and plenty of cooing over John. He was passed around, even though Anne could see that Ricky was very reluctant to let go of his son. All three of his aunties gave him kisses and his three uncles were completely in awe of him. Simon was actually very nervous about holding John.

"What if I break him!?" he asked seriously when Ashley held John out for him to take, his voice wavering slightly as he swiveled his eyes between Anne, George and Amy. Amy gave him a reassuring smile.

"Just support this head and be gentle with him. I trust you." Simon swallowed a nervous lump in his throat and held out his arms for John. Anne chuckled at Simon's awkward hold of him and helped adjust his arms so John was more securely nestled against him. After a moment or two, once he realized the tiny human in his arms was still alive, Simon relaxed and smiled. Once John finished being passed between his uncles and then his grandparents, he was handed back to Amy, who kissed his forehead and then tucked his left arm, which he'd moved out from under his blanket, back inside it.

"We forget to text mom and dad!" Lauren suddenly exclaimed. Terrance quickly took out his phone to text their parents while Madison and Ricky did the same. Anne chuckled at the excited teens before her.

"Alright you guys. Your parents will all be here soon so let's let this little family have some peace and quiet until they get here." She ushered everyone except Ricky out of the room, much to Robbie's dismay. He knew nothing was going to happen between them, since Amy had just had a baby and all, but for some reason knowing Ricky was alone with Amy and she currently **wasn't** pregnant made him a little nervous. Once Anne shut the door to Amy's room, Amy held John out to Ricky, who eagerly took his son and then had a seat in the chair next to Amy's bed. Amy watched Ricky gazing at their son with awe and wonder and smiled.

"He's perfect, Amy." Ricky turned to Amy with tears in his eyes. His voice cracked when he spoke again. "Thank you." Amy tilted her head slightly to one side with curiosity.

"For what?"

"For giving me a son." His voice started to waver. "You could've decided not to have a baby, or given him up for adoption, but you kept him." Ricky broke eye contact to look down at his son, who was slowly waking up. "You chose to **let** me be his dad." John stretched and gazed up at the face above him, causing Ricky to smile. "Hi, John. I'm your daddy." John blew a small spit bubble, causing Amy and Ricky to laugh. Ricky leaned forward and placed a kiss on John's forehead. "I love you." He knew John had no idea what he was saying but just staring at his infant son made his heart swell with happiness like he'd never experienced before. The moment was interrupted by a knock on Amy's door.

"Come in," she called out, sitting up a little straighter in her bed. She was greeted by the smiling faces of the parents of her best friends and a small barrage of balloons. Debra and Emily made a beeline for John while Mr. Cooperstein and Lauren's step-dad made a beeline for Amy to each give her a hug and then set the balloons down on the floor, their decorative weighted anchors a rainbow of colors. Ricky reluctantly passed John to Debra, knowing the adults would all want to hold John.

"Oh, Amy, he's absolutely perfect," Emily cooed, stepping to Amy's bedside to give her a hug. When Debra transferred John to Emily she gave Amy a hug as well. The men each took turns holding John and then Debra passed John back to Ricky.

"Alright, sweetie," Debra said matter-of-factly. "I'm sure you'll be having more visitors later on today and I know you're beat so we won't keep you long. You get some rest and we'll see you at home," she finished with a smile as she put her hands on her husband's back and pushed him towards the door. The Coopersteins were right behind them. Emily gave Amy a final wave before heading down the hallway. Debra was right. Shortly after her room emptied, Amy was visited by Donovan and Leon, longtime family friends who were like uncles to the Juergens kids, Donavan having worked with her dad at his furniture store for years. After them Amy was visited by Ricky's parents, Dr. Hightower, and then her boss and several of her coworkers, all of whom brought balloons for her and small stuffed animals for John.

Eventually things quieted down. The guys and girls had gone home shortly after their parents left to shower, eat and get some sleep. Anne and George announced they likewise needed to shower and eat, but they'd be coming right back and would bring Amy something to eat as well. Ricky refused to leave Amy alone. After her family left, Amy turned to Ricky, who was watching John sleep in his little basinet and the sight made her chuckle. Ricky looked over at her.

"What?"

"We're not going anywhere, Ricky, and he's almost as tired as I am after what we've been through in the past twelve hours or so. You've been here the whole time too so I know you're beat. It's okay to go home and get some sleep." Ricky looked torn and glanced back and forth several times between Amy and John, clearly not wanting to leave either one of them. Amy smiled at him and reached out her hand, which he took without hesitation. "We'll be fine. Besides, my family's on their way back and all I plan to do for a while is sleep." Ricky looked down at their joined hands.

"If you're sure," he said quietly.

"I'm sure." Ricky locked eyes with her once more.

"But I'm not leaving until they get here." Amy giggled and released his hand.

"Alright." Amy got more comfortable in her bed and then turned her head to look at her son one more time before drifting off to sleep. Ricky watched his little family sleeping and his mind began to wander. _How did I get so lucky? A girl who's sweet, kind, forgiving, brave, and stronger than I realized, willingly had my baby and is gonna let me hang around and be his dad. She deserves a guy so much more put together than I am but I'm glad someone out there decided to give me this chance. _John stirred in his sleep and his blanket shifted off of him. Ricky stood from his chair and readjusted the blanket over his son. _I won't let anyone hurt you, John, ever. And I promise to be the kinda dad you'll be proud to have._ The Juergens arrived several minutes later and Ricky bid them goodbye. With one last look at the little sleeping family he'd helped create, Ricky headed down the hallway and then home to get some sleep. His life was gonna be different from here on out.


	16. Bringing Up Baby

Amy was certain there had never been a more spoiled infant on the face of the earth. From the moment she and John came home, when she wasn't breast feeding him, someone seemed to be holding, playing with, or spoiling him. John's uncles bought him a new toy or stuffed animal at least twice a week so Amy finally had to cut them off, telling them they could only get him toys for his birthday, Christmas, and **very** special occasions. His aunties likewise had a habit of buying him new clothes and books and Amy had to give them the same restrictions; she was simply running out of room to put all of John's gifts. Seeing that John's entertainment and wardrobe needs were being more than met, Anne and George spoiled John simply by watching and playing with him any and every chance they could, which Amy found extremely helpful on weekends when she had homework she needed to finish or she needed to do laundry for John. Ricky was practically a permanent fixture at the Juergens house as well. He came over every day after work to spend time with Amy and John and spent a good chunk of his Saturday and Sunday at their home as well. Sometimes when Amy needed a much longer break, Ricky would take John to his house for the weekend, where his parents got the chance to spoil John too. All in all John was a much loved little boy.

By the time John had learned to control his motor skills and walk, he had plenty of toys to keep him preoccupied and plenty of playmates, so he was one happy little toddler. He had aunties, uncles and grandparents who kept him entertained and a mommy and daddy who would move mountains for him. Ricky and the boys gradually started becoming friends as they all realized they had an interest in teaching John about sports, and so their shared love for John and of sports gave them some common ground to stand on.

One Saturday afternoon the three families had a barbeque to celebrate a new supplier contract George had finally managed to secure for the store. As Amy, Madison and Lauren were reclining in the shade with glasses of iced tea, Amy looked out over her backyard and smiled at the sight. Their fathers were at the grill debating the best type of marinade for barbequed chicken, their mothers were sitting on benches under the tent that had been pitched for their barbeque discussing the latest recipes they had tried, and the boys, Ricky and Ashley were in the pool with John, who was sitting in a floating chair designed just for toddlers, and he was happily splashing about. Even though Amy knew her son was perfectly safe, and surrounded by five people who would never let him drown, she watched him like a hawk even while she chatted with her two best friends about what they planned to do over spring break. As Amy took a sip of her iced tea, she caught Ricky's eye and he winked at her with a smile. Amy snorted into her glass and broke eye contact. Madison and Lauren looked at her.

"Everything okay, Amy?" Lauren asked. Amy just nodded with a smile and Madison continued detailing her plans to volunteer at the local YWCA clothing drive because she'd seen a cute guy who worked there and hoped she'd have a chance to get to know him a little, before Simon found out about him and scared him off. Meanwhile Amy glanced back at the pool, locked eyes with Robbie and subtly shook her head at him with a smile. He had seen Ricky wink at Amy and he'd given Ricky a look of disapproval that Amy figured Robbie would have for the rest of her life. Robbie had never approved of any guy who had shown an interest in Amy and even now Robbie didn't fully approve of Ricky. Even though Ricky had turned over a new leaf; was being a loving, responsible father; and he and Amy, so far, had been successfully co-parenting their son, Robbie would only be happy if Amy went to her grave an old maid, obviously minus the being a virgin part. No guy would ever be good enough for his little gummie and while at times it irritated her, when it came right down to it, Amy would always love having a big brother.

**THE END**


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